Hyderabad: While the Central government and the Indian embassy in Ukraine are working to establish evacuation routes for people stranded in the war-torn country, Indian students there are gripped with fear and all they want is to go home.
ETV Bharat spoke to some of the students and their parents who all want the government to do everything in its power to bring their children back.
"We are not getting essential commodities. Not even food and water. Around 100 to 200 people from Karnataka are stuck here. Already, I heard the sound of bombs a couple of times. The Indian embassy has not responded to the phone call or messages," says a student from Karnataka stuck in Ukraine.
Concurring the same, another student Kavya from Karnataka who is pursuing MBBS in Ukraine laments, "Situation is worsening by the day. We believed that they (Indian Govt) will take us back safely. We have been stuck at the Metro Station for the last two days as it serves as a bomb shelter. But we are not even getting water to drink,".
Whereas, students residing in Kharkiv, 30 kms from Russia, say that they can feel the buildings shaking from the intensity of bombs dropped by Russians.
"I am studying at Kharkiv National Medical College. There are 40 students from Karnataka in this hostel. Ever since we heard bomb sounds, we are scared. We have been advised to go to the bomb shelter," says Praveen Badami, yet another MBBS student from Karnataka.
About 350 students from Karnataka and 1500 students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh put together are stranded in Ukraine. Several of them couldn't return to the country earlier because the flight fare was expensive or tickets until February-end were booked.
Along with students, even the parents are shaken by the news emanating from the war-ravaged region. The family of Yamuna, an MBBS student, who are living in Vizianagaram, are deeply concerned about their daughter. "We last heard from her when she was being taken to a safe place. Still, we are worried about her safety," they added.
Whereas, Tagaram Manali's parents, who are from Siddipet, say that their daughter is deprived of proper food. Manali told her mother over the phone that they had no food to eat and no water to drink. She also said that officials have instructed the students to switch off lights in the room.
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Similarly, about 1200 students from Maharashtra are stuck in Ukraine according to Minister for Higher and Technical Education, Uday Samant. Prasad Shinde Naik, the parent of one of the stranded students, said that his child was almost rescued but the flights were delayed. "So, he has been moved to a safer place".
Providing some kind of relief to worrying parents and students, the government officials on Friday said that the Government of India is organizing evacuation flights for Indians in Ukraine and that cost will be completely borne by the government. Already, two flights for Bucharest today and one flight for Budapest tomorrow are being planned to be operated as the Government of India's chartered flights, sources from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
