Hundreds of Indian students stuck in Kyrgyzstan, says Union Minister Ramdas Athawale

MUMBAI: Several hundred Indian students studying at Kyrgyzstan’s Osh State University have been stranded in the Central Asian nation for the past few days due to the flight ban in India, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said here on Saturday.

“They have called me up with urgent requests to help evacuate them... Of these students, I am informed that around 205 are from Maharashtra alone, according to their families,” Athawale told IANS.

The Minister said that Kyrgyzstan’s Avia Traffic Co., in the capital Bishkek, is prepared to operate at least three flights to India to send the stranded students home.

“They are ready to operate two flights to New Delhi and one to Mumbai to bring back these stranded students. I shall be speaking with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Minister for External Affairs and other officials to grant them landing permission on priority despite the ‘lockdown’ and the ban on flight operations,” Athawale said.

He is hopeful of getting the relevant clearances from the Indian government to enable the launch of the evacuation proceedings within a couple of days or so as their near and dear ones are getting panicky in view of the global COVID-19 pandemic. (IANS)

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