Russia-Ukraine crisis: Tamil Nadu CM urges Centre to operate special flight to evacuate students

The state government has opened 24x7 help desks and appointed a state Nodal Officer to facilitate the evacuation of stranded Tamils in Ukraine to coordinate with the government of India, their families and district administration.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has requested the Centre to arrange special flights to evacuate Tamil Nadu students who are stranded in Ukraine after the Russian government attacked the Eastern European country. Urging the Centre to take up the matter with the authorities there immediately, the Chief Minister said, "I request the Government of India to arrange for Special Mission flights like Vande Bharath Mission to evacuate them from various parts of Ukraine."

"I solicit your urgent action in this regard," he said in a letter addressed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, a copy of which was made available to the media. The Minister said that there are around 5,000 students from the state, mostly enrolled in professional courses and other emigrants from the state were now stranded in Ukraine.

"We have been receiving hundreds of distress calls from the family members of the students studying in Ukraine requesting for their urgent evacuation. However, it has come to our notice that airports in Ukraine are closed. They are in need of our support to be brought back to India safely," the Chief Minister said in the letter.

For its part, the state government has opened 24x7 help desks and appointed a state Nodal Officer to facilitate the evacuation of stranded Tamils in Ukraine to coordinate with the government of India, their families and district administration.

"Considering the high number of Tamilians in Ukraine it is requested that a Nodal Officer may be nominated for coordination with the Tamil Nadu government. I request the government of India to take up this issue with the authorities there for evacuating them out of Ukraine immediately," Chief Minister Stalin urged External Affairs Minister.

Meanwhile, with Ukraine closing its airspace to civilian flights following Russia's military action in that country, the state government has appealed to the stranded students not to venture out but remain in touch with the Indian embassy there, a senior official said.

Read More:

• UGC releases draft accessibility guidelines and standards for HEIs

• Osmania University inaugurates new 500-bed girls' hostel

• DU's Lakshmibai College to soon have operational yagyashala to hold havans

• DU's College of vocational studies corruption case: 2-member panel set up to investig