State med students stranded in Russia

State med students stranded in Russia

Petlee.Peter@timesgroup.com

06.07.2020

Bengaluru: More than 100 students from Karnataka, who are pursuing medical courses, are stranded in different parts of Russia which is severely hit by Covid-19. These students are unable to return home as the government hasn’t commissioned a single direct Vande Bharat Mission flight from Moscow to anywhere in Karnataka.

Many students from other parts of the country have returned home and Air India flights are scheduled to ferry some of them to Chennai and Kochi on Friday and Saturday respectively. Hundreds from India are studying medicine in Russia, which now is the third most severely Covid-19 affected country.

When Russia locked down on March 28, several Indian students flew to cities like Chennai, Nagpur, Kochi, Kannur, Mumbai, Delhi and Patna on Vande Bharat flights. But the mission didn’t feature a single direct flight to Bengaluru, much to the disappointment of over 110 Karnataka students, who now have no money for food or pay for their accommodation.

“Our classes have ended and summer vacations are now on till August. Most of our country-mates have left for India on Vande Bharat Mission flights, but we are stranded here,” said Manjunatha (name changed), a second year medical student in Perm, Russia. The student is from Mandya.

Karnataka students from different parts of Russia have banded together on a WhatsApp group and have made numerous representations to Karnataka, especially Bengaluru, MPs to help them fly out.

One student now stranded in Tver, who preferred to be identified only as Umesh, said state politicians should take note and help. “All we ask is just one direct flight to Bengaluru so that all of us can come home,” Umesh said. “While we have no grudge against anyone, it is hard to take when governments of other states come to the aid of their students. All of us are ready to pay the airfare. All we are asking of authorities is to arrange one flight us,” lamented the medical student who is from Bengaluru.

The Karnataka students have contacted Indian authorities in Russia multiple times through emails and hotlines demanding citizen assist, but there has been no favourable response till now. In their desperate bid to return home, a section of students have also requested for a chartered flight to Bengaluru to be sanctioned even though the tickets could turn out to be expensive, sources said.

The Vande Bharat mission didn’t feature a single direct flight to Bengaluru, much to the disappointment of K’taka students