The representatives of the State government sent to the four eastern European countries of Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, bordering Ukraine, to facilitate the safe return of students from the State studying in Ukraine, have reached their respective destinations.
The objective is to offer hands-on help and streamline the evacuation process. Medapati S. Venkat, Adviser to the State Government, Non-Resident Telugu affairs, is in Hungary where he met a few local Telugu association volunteers, Embassy coordinators and a few students from the State in Ukraine in Daubius Hotel Hungaria.
“Things have streamlined much better in the last 24 hours. More than 1,000 students are flying out today, leaving a few hundred for tomorrow,” he said in a communication to the State officials.
He said more students were expected to come to the border and that there were only two flights scheduled per day from Saturday. “We hope that the embassy will arrange more number of flights over the next few days based on the surge in numbers at the border,” he said.
Special Representative for Europe Ravindra Reddy, Deputy Adviser to the government (NRT Affairs) and Special Representative of Andhra Pradesh Pandugayala Ratnakar have also started coordinating with the officials at Poland, Romania and Slovakia respectively.
Parents tense
Meanwhile, tension is mounting among parents of students who are trapped in the war-hit Ukraine with reports of another Indian student, Harjot Singh, shot and injured in Ukraine capital Kyiv and Union Minister V.K. Singh confirming the incident.
Students continued to land in batches to Delhi and Mumbai airports from where they are received by the State teams and sent to their respective destinations. Around 24 students are said to have landed in one batch at Mumbai airport.
Officials engaged in the safe passage of AP students from Ukraine said a total of 769 students were in touch with them and their details were available in the database of the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS).
As on Friday afternoon, the State government could bring back home a total of 270 students, from the Delhi and Mumbai airports.
