145 students return to Pune district from Ukraine

Pune district administration officials have visited all the students who have returned and they are all in a stable condition

PUNE: Of the 149 students from Pune district who were stranded in Ukraine, 145 have returned to their hometown while four have relocated to nearby countries. Pune district administration officials have visited all the students who have returned and they are all in a stable condition.

Of the 149 students from Pune district who were stranded in Ukraine, 145 have returned to their hometown while four have relocated to nearby countries. (FILE PHOTO)

Rajesh Deshmukh, Pune district collector, said, “Our officers were in touch with all the students while they were returning from Ukraine. Our officials made sure to visit all the students once they returned and till now, all 145 students have been paid a visit.”

“In the last four days, we have not received any more calls from the students who returned from Ukraine for any sort of help. The four students who have not returned to their native place have relocated to countries such as Poland and Oman,” said Deshmukh.

Nishtha Kashyap who moved to Oman, said, “My uncle stays in Oman so when the war started, I decided to move to his place. The situation was not that harsh when I moved out of Ukraine. Currently, I don’t have plans to return to India.”

The 145 students were rescued under Operation Ganga which concluded on March 11. A total 18,600 Indian nationals were evacuated. Students had to face many hardships while getting to the nearby borders as many of them had to stay in bunkers while ensuring mobile connectivity and daily meals. Now, many students are concerned over the completion of their courses. Sakshi Ghume, a second-year student of Vinnytsia national medical university, Ukraine, who returned on March 6, said, “Our online classes have already started. We have still not received any update on when we will return to the university. After coming to Romania, we did not face any problem.”

Till March 8, 102 students have been evacuated from Ukraine. Initially, the district administration contacted 109 students. Later on, a few more students made contact with the district administration on the helpline number provided. Approximately 2,500 students hailing from Maharashtra were safely brought back.

Box:

Total Pune district students in Ukraine: 149

Students evacuated: 145

Students relocated: 4