Summary
Jharkhand sets up control room to assist families of students stranded in war-torn country
Students from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh also stuck; officials assure families that all efforts are being made to bring them back
Chief minister M K Stalin has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to operate special Vande Bharat mission flights to evacuate the stranded Tamil Nadu students
Thousands of students from all over India are caught in the Ukraine crossfire, with their kin back home frantically trying to reach out and arrange for their safe passage through state agencies.
The Jharkhand government on February 25 set up a control room to help families of the students and workers stuck in crisis-hit Ukraine in the administration’s effort to bring them back home.
Chief minister Hemant Soren took to Twitter, saying, “I appeal to citizens and family members of all students and those who have gone to Ukraine for employment to contact the control room numbers to provide their information. All possible help will be provided to them by the Jharkhand government in collaboration with the Centre.”
According to information received from different districts, around 100 students from Jharkhand are now stuck in Ukraine. The control room mobile numbers are 9470132591, 9431336427, 9431336398, 9431336472 and 9431336432. The landline numbers are 2481055, 2480058, 2480083, 2482052, 2481037 and 2481188.
Tamil Nadu students appeal for early evacuation
Students hailing from Tamil Nadu made a fervent appeal for their early evacuation, saying they were short on supplies and virtually feared for their lives amidst “repeated sounds of explosions”. A video of Tamil Nadu students holed up in some kind of a facility showed a number of youth cramped with their belongings, making the appeal to the government to ensure their safety and take all steps for their early return home.
The students have requested for urgent intervention from the Indian Embassy in Ukraine for their safety. “We have filled up at least 15 forms but there has been no response so far. We are hearing repeated explosions,” a student said in an apparent reference to evacuation related procedures.
According to the Tamil Nadu government, an estimated 5,000 students, most of them undergoing professional courses and emigrants from the state are stranded in Ukraine. Chief minister M K Stalin has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to operate special Vande Bharat mission flights to evacuate the stranded Tamil Nadu students.
Students from Thane, Palghar and Latur left in the lurch
Meanwhile, authorities from Maharashtra’s Thane and Palghar have said that 21 students from the two districts are still stranded in Ukraine. An official said that 11 of the students are from Thane and the rest from Palghar.
“Of the ten from Palghar, two are from Vikrangad area. Of the remaining 11 students, four are from Thane, and one each from Murbad, Bhiwandi, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Dombivili, Ambernath and Mira Bhayander. All of them are stranded in Kharkiv and Kyiv,” said District Disaster Control Cell chief Vivekanand Kadam.
The district administration in Latur has set up a control room at the collector’s office to provide information to kin of students stranded in Ukraine. An official said on February 25 that they have information about 28 students from Latur pursuing education, mainly medical courses, in Ukraine.
Kin of 122 stranded students from Madhya Pradesh call CM’s helpline
In Madhya Pradesh, the kin of 122 stranded students have so far contacted the chief minister’s helpline for assistance, an official said on February 25. The official added, on condition of anonymity, that most of these students are in Kharkiv and have been given refuge in metro stations and other safe spots.
These students are unable to move towards the Hungary border, some 1,200 km away, for a land rescue effort due to the relentless shelling by Russian forces, while making it to the Poland border was tough due to lack of buses on the route, the official stressed.
“There may be 250 students from MP in Ukraine. The kin and guardians of 122 students have contacted the CM’s helpline so far. We are coordinating, and the Indian Embassy there is making all out efforts to help these students,” the official said.
The parents of some of these students said that ATMs in that country had begun to run dry, while provisions were also in short supply due to bulk and panic buying.
Last updated on 28 Feb 2022
