Kolkata: The Bengal government is in constant touch with the family members of students stuck in Ukraine and has been making necessary arrangements to bring them back.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday tweeted: "Few students will be landing shortly in Mumbai and Delhi. My Govt is in touch with their families and also arranging their return to their home towns safely by providing them free air tickets and then from Airport to individual houses. We have deployed a special assistance team at Dumdum airport also who are coordinating the entire process."
Banerjee further tweeted saying: "Our government has set up a dedicated Control Room at Nabanna for helping the students & people from Bengal stranded at Ukraine.
So far, a request for 199 persons from West Bengal, stranded at Ukraine sent to Ministry of External Affairs, GOI requesting their early safe return. Resident Commissioner Office, West Bengal at New Delhi is coordinating."
The women's wing of Trinamool Congress on Saturday took out a silent rally in Kolkata demanding that the Centre should take prompt action to bring back Indian students from crisis-hit Ukraine. The rally started at around 3 pm on Saturday and ended at the Gandhi Statue.
Trinamool Congress MP from Barasat Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, state Law minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, Women and Child Development minister Shashi Panja, Bidhannagar Mayor Krishna Chakraborty among many others participated in the rally.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Saturday tweeted: "We don't want war; we want peace. Centre should be prompt to bring back Indian students from Ukraine."
The state government has opened a control room at Nabanna so that people can call for updates. The numbers are — 033-22143526 and 033-22141070. Senior administrative officers will manage the control room that has received around 199 calls from the family members of those stuck in Ukraine till Saturday evening. The state government has been communicating regularly with the Centre.
"My son is facing a shortage of food and water in Ukraine. I have been calling him again and again. I urge the Union government as well as the state government to ensure the safe and timely return of citizens stuck and stranded amidst a raging war," Rampada Mondal, said a Bengali teacher at Basirhat High School.