Administration officials from several districts of the state have started visiting families awaiting the return of their children from Ukraine and posting pictures of the same on official social media handles.
The move comes after an Indian student’s death in the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Kharkiv left several parents anxious about the safety of their children stranded in the war-torn country.
According to the Gujarat State Non-Resident Gujaratis’ Foundation (NRGF) — a state government arm that communicates with Gujaratis living abroad — there are 1,452 students from Gujarat who have got stuck in Ukraine due to the Russain invasion. “Of the 1,452 students, 158 students have already returned to Gujarat, while 105 students will be arriving tomorrow (Thursday),” Utsav Bhat, mamlatdar with NRGF, told The Indian Express on Wednesday.
While families called the visits from officials “reassuring”, the government has handed out instructions to officials to brief the families about the ongoing Operation Ganga to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, as the Russian attack on Ukraine intensified, various district administrations swung into action and began preparing a list of students stranded in Ukraine, getting in touch with the families and briefing them about the evacuation.
Vadodara District Collector AB Gor, who visited the family of Ronik Bhatt, a medical student stranded, said, “We have identified 154 students from Vadodara, who are either on their way to the borders or are awaiting flights… about 20 others have returned so far. I met one family on Tuesday and assured them that their son would soon be back home.”
“The officials are meeting parents to offer them support and also details of the ongoing operation. Everyone is working to ensure a safe evacuation of the students stranded in war,” he added.
Gor, whose pictures of meeting with Bhatt’s family was shared by the district information department, also said, “We have been asking the parents to ensure that the students fill up the form of the government so that they can be traced and tracked by our embassy officials and be evacuated….”
Jatin Bhatt, Ronik’s father, said, “Ronik managed to cross over to Poland after waiting at the Shehyni-Medyka border for three days without food and water. While we understood it was an extreme situation, we couldn’t help but worry about his health. The District Collector visited us and assured us that our son would be brought back safely.”
Story continues below this ad
In Bharuch, District Collector Tushar Sumera Wednesday visited the family of a sixth-year medical student, who had managed to leave Kharkiv in the nick of time and is now awaiting evacuation in Romania.
Sumera, who posted photos of his video conversation with the student on the official Twitter handle of the district administration, said, “The girl, a 6th-year MBBS student from Kharkiv, crossed over to Romania when I was visiting her family. I spoke to her over a video call and assured her that she would be back home soon.”
Sumera said that of the 68 students from the district, who were in Ukraine, 24 have returned home.
He claimed the administration is “only acting as a bridge between the parents and the stranded students to explain to them how they should be approaching embassy officials.We are trying to reach out to everyone through phone calls and social media, too.”
SDM Prantij, who also holds the charge of sub-division Himmatnagar, Mahipatsinh Dodiya Wednesday visited families whose children are stuck in Ukraine and also who have returned safely. “Three students have boarded the train and must have crossed the Poland border by now. One from Himmatnagar is in Kharkiv and as per the latest advisory is walking to Pesochyn along with other students,” Mahipatsinh Dodiya said. From both the sub divisions – Himmatnagar and Prantij- a total of nine students were stuck of whom four have returned safely.
Story continues below this ad
A total of 18 students were in Ukraine from Sabarkantha of which nine have returned safely, said Collector Hitesh K Koya.
In Saurashtra, too, sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs), mamlatdars, and taluka development officers (TDOs) are visiting family members of students who are stuck in Ukraine.
Bhavnagar collector Yogesh Nirgude said that a total of 46 students from the district were left stranded in Ukraine and of them, one returned to Bhavnagar two days back while two more on board a flight headed back to India.
“Of the remaining 45, a majority have crossed over to the borders of neighbouring countries and are reported safe. Simultaneously, we are also getting information from NRG Foundation in Gandhinagar about the movement of these students,” added the collector.
Story continues below this ad
In Rajkot, 10 students have returned to their homes so far while family members of 59 others are eagerly waiting for their safe return. “As per the instructions of the government, I’ve instructed SDMs to visit families, console them and tell them as to what the government is doing to bring their children back,” Rajkot collector Arun Mahesh Babu said.
With inputs from Ritu Sharma, Avinash Nair in Ahmedabad
5 min read
