Bengaluru
A total of 346 people from Karnataka are stranded in crisis-hit Ukraine, according to data shared by the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) at 3.30 p.m. on Friday.
Those stranded are from 29 districts in the State, with 115 from Bengaluru. There are 30 people from Mysuru, 24 from Vijayapura, and 22 from Bagalkot, among others. “The information collected by our 24/7 control room has been shared with the Ministry of External Affairs and Embassy of India in Kiev, Ukraine, to make arrangements for safe evacuation of stranded students hailing from Karnataka. Further, the MEA officers in countries bordering Ukraine are in strategic locations for safe evacuation through alternative routes,” the KSDMA said.
To assist in the evacuation of Indians from Ukraine, MEA teams are being sent to countries in the neighbourhood: Hungary, Poland, Slovak Republic and Romania.
Web portal
KSDMA also created a web portal in 12 hours, which can also be accessed on mobile phones, to collect relevant information of people from Karnataka stranded in Ukraine, said Commissioner Manoj Rajan. The URL is http://ukraine.karnataka.tech
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai reached out to Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar on Friday and was assured that the situation in Ukraine is being monitored closely.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Bommai said, “The Union Government is doing everything possible to bring back stranded Indians safely. Possibilities of taking them to safety back through land route options are being explored as air services have been hit by the war with Russia. There is information about secure movement possibilities towards the western part of Ukraine and the Indian Embassy in Ukraine is in touch with stranded Indian students.”
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Bommai to take steps to ensure safe return of Karnataka students.
Emergency lines provided by the Embassy of India, Kiev:
1. +38 0997300483
2. +38 0997300428
3. +38 0933980327
4. +38 0635917881
5. +38 0935046170
e-mails: cons1.kyiv@mea.gov.in, pol.kyiv@mea.gov.in
