Ending their weeks-long uncertainty, a group of over 170 migrant Odisha girls has finally reached their home from Kerala, thanks to Bollywood actor Sonu Sood. The women labourers who worked in the textile factory were all from Kendrapara in Odisha. Amid lockdown, actor Sonu Sood came to know the plight of the girls and soon made the arrangement for their transport with the help of his close friend from Bhubaneshwar.

The actor arranged a chartered flight for their evacuation and the expenses for the flight were borne by him. The flight from Kochi Airport took off with the migrants at 8 am and landed at Bhubaneshwar at 10:30 am on Friday.

Commenting on the initiative, Sonu Sood said in an interview, “When I decided to come forward in support of these migrant workers who have been stranded, all I had in my mind was how I can help reunite them with their families and homes. I must thank AirAsia India for their immediate response and interest in supporting this endeavour."

Rajya Sabha MP Amar Patnaik took to Twitter to thank Sood. "@SonuSood Ji, your helping the Odia girls to return safely from Kerala is commendable. Kudos to your noble efforts. It’s incredible to see how you are helping the needy reach their homes safely. More strength to you," Patnaik wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, all the passengers on board the flight were happy and relieved to be finally going back home. Sonu has been actively working to help stranded migrant workers. Recently, he had even launched a helpline number for the migrants in needy.

@SonuSood Ji,your helping the Odia girls to return safely from Kerala is commendable. Kudos to your noble efforts. It’s incredible to see how you are helping the needy reach their homes safely. More strength to you!@Naveen_Odisha@CMO_Odisha@bjd_odishahttps://t.co/6VqSExCEQ5

— Dr. Amar Patnaik (@Amar4Odisha) May 29, 2020