Madikeri: Parents of over 21 students studying at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Galibeedu near Madikeri heaved a sigh of relief yesterday, as their children returned safely from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

They had been to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Manpur in Indore on a student exchange programme before the lockdown was enforced in the last week of March in the wake of Coronavirus pandemic. Also, as part of the exchange programme, over 24 students from the Jawahar Navodaya School in Indore had come to Madikeri and they too got stuck unable to go back to their homes in Madhya Pradesh.

With the coordination from the administrations in Kodagu and Indore, a decision was taken to ferry the students up to Kolhapur in Maharashtra from both places – Madikeri and Indore – and the respective school authorities would pick them midway. Permissions were sought from the respective State Governments.

Arrangements were made to transport the students till Kolhapur from where the Madikeri students were received and the Indore students were sent off. Accordingly, the students from the Madikeri School arrived yesterday.

The students had left to their respective destinations in buses on May 5 after the lockdown was eased, facilitating the inter-State movement of stranded persons. Kodagu DHO Mohan said the students underwent a mandatory medical screening at their school.