AP task force brings back 450 students from Ukraine

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh state-level task force committee (APSLTFC) identified about 450 students stuck in Ukraine and the first batch of them was scheduled to reach India late Saturday evening.

APSLTFC chairperson, M.T. Krishna Babu asked students to avoid coming to the borders of Ukraine as it would prove dangerous in the present war situation and asked them to remain in their places. He said the union government issued an advisory to avoid reaching the borders in Ukraine and would inform students about its plan to evacuate. Addressing a press meet here on Saturday, Krishna Babu briefed about the various measures being taken by the government to bring back stranded students in Ukraine.

Krishna Babu said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had directed to set up reception centres at the Mumbai and the New Delhi airports to receive and assist the students returning from Ukraine and bring them back to their native places. He said the state government had created a master list with details of students in Ukraine gathered from various helpline numbers and APNRT data and shared it with the Indian Embassy and ministry of external affairs. He said two flights were coming from Bucharest and one would land in New Delhi and another in Mumbai and added that the ministry of external affairs had communicated that 22 Telugu students were being flown back in the two flights. He said Mumbai flight would reach by 6pm on Saturday and Delhi flight at 2 am on Sunday and added that separate teams were formed to receive them.

Krishna Babu said inspector general, registrations department, Rama Krishna had been assigned to receive students in Mumbai airport and principal resident commissioner Praveen Prakash and additional resident commissioner Himanshu Kaushik would receive the students in New Delhi. He said arrangements were made for their accommodation and travel to their native places free of cost by the state government. He said they had shared the ministry of external affairs' latest advisory to the people in Ukraine and advised them to follow the same.

Citing the advisory of the union government not to come to the border areas in Ukraine, Krishna Babu stated that the students shall stay where they were and appealed not to come to the nearest neighbouring border countries.  He said the Russian military was not targeting civilians so the students were advised to stay safe wherever they were. Those in the bombing areas were advised to move to bunkers and houses set up by the Red Cross. He said a WhatsApp group was formed and about 300 students joined the group and they were being updated with the information, suggestions and advice provided by the ministry of external affairs.

Krishna Babu said the government of India was making all arrangements to bring back the students safely. There is information that students from the state are mainly from seven universities close to Romania. He mentioned that students who registered their names on the Indian Embassy website would get information about how to come and where to come for the return journey to India and AP and hence students did not need to worry.