Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took immediate initiative for the safe return of 164 citizens of Maharashtra stranded in UAE including Dubai due to closure of Middle East airspace due to increasing tension between Iran-Israel-America. He spoke directly to the affected people and arranged for special flights. Today these citizens are leaving for Mumbai from Fujairah.

Due to rising geopolitical tensions, many international flights were cancelled, leaving a large number of Indian citizens stranded in Dubai and other Emirates. The state government became active as soon as it got information about the situation of the citizens of Maharashtra.

arranging special flights

As part of these efforts, two special flights of Star Air are being operated from Fujairah International Airport today. As per schedule, aircraft VT-GSO will take off today (March 3, 2026) at 3:30 pm and aircraft VT-GSH will take off at 4:30 pm.

A total of 164 passengers will reach Mumbai Airport today between 5:30 and 7:00 pm through these two aircraft. The administration has also ensured necessary coordination and reception arrangements at the airport, so that the process of all passengers can be completed smoothly.

Which citizens got relief?

These passengers include 84 students of Pune-based Indira School of Business Studies, who had gone to Dubai in connection with an educational program. Apart from this, citizens of Thane, Murbad, Ahilyanagar and other areas are also in this list.

Deputy Chief Minister Shinde had directly communicated with these Marathi citizens 2 days ago. He assured them that everyone was safe and there was no need to worry. The state government is making every possible effort and safe return home will be ensured.

After this, constant contact was maintained with all the concerned agencies, aviation companies and local administration. As a result of these coordinated efforts, the safe return of 164 passengers is becoming possible today.

Telangana Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Minister Adaluri Laxman Kumar, while talking to the media in Jagtial district on Monday (2 March 2026), assured full assurance to the people of Telangana living in Iran and Gulf countries. He clearly said that no one should panic due to the increasing tension between Iran, Israel and America. Both the state government and the central government will together help them. The minister addressed Chief Minister A. Appealed to Revanth Reddy that a special cell should be formed immediately so that every problem of the stranded Telugu people can be solved. He also said that he will also raise this issue with Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi present in Vikarabad today.

Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar said that many people of Jagtial district are working in countries like Dubai, Qatar and Iran. Recently, 48 flights were canceled at Hyderabad Airport due to closure of airspace in the Middle East. In such a situation, many families are worried. Laxman Kumar said, ‘People remain calm. Our government is with them at every step. I have requested the Chief Minister to set up a 24-hour control room on behalf of the state. He also added that Rahul Gandhi is on Telangana tour today and is attending the meeting of Congress workers in Vikarabad. There this issue will be placed before them so that immediate action is taken at the central level also.

Tension between Iran and Israel

After increasing tension between Iran and Israel in the last few days, concerns about the safety of Indians living abroad have increased. Thousands of youth from Telangana work in Gulf countries. In such a situation, this statement of the minister is a great relief. Laxman Kumar insisted that no one should pay attention to the rumour. The government has already made a control room in Delhi and now every necessary step will be taken at the state level also. The minister also appealed to the local people of Jagtial that if their relatives are abroad then they should call them and ask them to remain calm. He told that soon this matter will be discussed in detail with both the Chief Minister and Rahul Gandhi.

There is a tense situation in the Middle East. Israel and America first attacked many targets targeting Iran. After this, Iran took revenge and carried out rapid air strikes on many other countries including Israel, in which they especially targeted those places where American military bases were present. This includes Qatar, Dubai, UAE and Bahrain. Iran used many such weapons during the attack, which have created a scene of devastation. Many types of ballistic and cruise missiles were included in this list and drones have also been used extensively.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, Iran has developed many types of ballistic and cruise missiles in the last 30 years. The length of these missiles varies, some are around 10–20 meters long. Their firepower can take them to West Asia and many surrounding countries.
Which missile does Iran have?

Iran has many types of missiles. It has prepared short, medium and long range missiles to strike at different distances. Their range is said to be from 300 kilometers to 2,500 kilometers. First of all, if we talk about short range missiles, these include Fateh-110, whose strike range is about 300 kilometers. Raad-500 and Fateh-313 can hit a range of about 500 kilometers. Zulfiqar can reach about 700 kilometers and Qiyam-1 can reach about 800 kilometers. These missiles are usually used to target surrounding areas. Medium range missiles include Shahab-1 and Shahab-2, whose range ranges from 300 to 700 kilometers.

Shahab-3 is considered more powerful and it can hit a range of about 1,300 to 1,450 kilometers. The range of Qadr and Ghadar missiles is said to be 1,600 to 2,000 kilometers. Imad missile can reach about 1,700 kilometers. These missiles have the capability to reach distant countries of the region. Long range missiles include Khorramshahr and Sajjeel. Their distance is said to be around 2,000 to 2,500 kilometers. Saumar is a cruise missile which can go up to about 2,500 kilometers. The distance to Khybershekar is about 1,450 kilometers. Iran considers its missile power an important part of its security policy. According to different reports, different claims are made regarding the actual capability of these missiles, but based on the available data this is considered to be the estimated range.