The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to promptly appoint a nodal officer from the Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan to ensure the well-being of Indian students stranded at the Almaty airport due to coronavirus pandemic.
A Bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh, which heard the case through video conferencing, ordered that the details of the Nodal Officer so appointed, including his name and telephone number, be communicated to the Indian students at the Almaty airport.
The details should also be uploaded on the official website of the Ministry of External Affairs, immediately, the Bench directed.
The high court’s direction came after a petition claimed that Indian nationals in sizeable numbers, who are enrolled for higher studies, including M.B.B.S, as regular students at the Semey Medical University, Kazakhstan, are stranded in the country.
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The plea claimed that several students at the Almaty airport are stranded without food, water, transportation and medical aid etc., since last two to three days.
Taking note of the plea, the Bench directed the government to ensure welfare, well-being and safety of all such Indian students. It directed the Nodal Officer “to expeditiously facilitate, secure and provide the students with all basic amenities and humanitarian assistance”.
