New Delhi: As tension escalates and confusion prevails among the family members regarding the safety and security and about the high ticket prices for their children leaving Ukraine, official sources on Friday clarified that the Government of India is organizing evacuation flights for Indians in Ukraine and that cost will be completely borne by the government for this evacuation. 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.
They also revealed that they have opened camp offices in western Ukraine to aid the evacuation. "MEA Camp Offices operational in Lviv and Chernivtsi towns in western Ukraine. Additional Russian speaking officials are being sent to these Camp Offices," the sources said.
The camp office staff are assisting the Indian citizens who reach these cities. The officials will facilitate the departure from Ukraine through adjoining border crossings. The first batch of Indian students have now left Chernivtsi for the Ukraine - Romania border, they said.
Responding to the government's decision to bear the airfare cost, the parents who have been thronging to the Ukrainian Embassy in the national capital said that it is a welcome move. The MEA is yet to make any official announcement regarding this yet. It is pertinent to note that the airfare from Ukraine to India was hovering around Rs 1.5-2 lakhs per person and the second Ukraine-bound Air India evacuation flight had to be turned around after the Ukraine air space was closed for civilian traffic. According to India's foreign ministry, 4000 Indian nationals have already left Ukraine in the past few days. The MEA control room so far in Delhi has got 980 calls and 850 emails.
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