VISAKHAPATNAM: When hundreds of Indians, mostly students, were stranded in the war-ravaged Ukraine, Chinta Srikanth, a restaurateur, has emerged as a guiding force to those who are clueless about how to proceed further so as to cross the Ukrainian border.
He has also become a hope for several Telugu families to trace and contact their wards at the Poland border. Srikanth hailing from Vellacheruvu village in Prakasam district, settled in Warsaw 16 years ago.
After doing post-graduation in hotel management from the Academy of Management in Warsaw, he started his own venture and now he owns at least eight Indian restaurants in Poland.
Speaking to TNIE from the Poland border on Tuesday, Srikanth said he faced an immigration problem when he came to Poland long ago. “After Russia declared a war on Ukraine, hundreds of students rushed to the border in a bid to escape from the east European country. After reaching the Polish border, many of them got stuck. In the alien land, they do not know what to do and whom to contact to go to India,’’ he said.
Srikanth has come forward to help the Indian students to cross the border by coordinating with embassy offices in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. “As I have been in Poland for the last 16 years, I am familiar with Indian officials. This has come in handy to help Indians. The Swaminarayan Trust has provided food to the Indians who crossed the border,’’ he said.
Not only Telugu students but also others contacted Srikanth for help. Incidentally, it was a Tamil girl who contacted him first seeking help for a group of 500 people, who were stranded at the Ukraine border. Srikanth said he received phone calls from parents from AP and other parts of the country to know the status of their children in Ukraine
“Contrary to reports of trouble at the border due to excesses by security forces, the personnel in Ukraine and Poland are very helpful in issuing temporary visas and facilitating immigration,’’ Srikanth said. He helped Narendra Kumar Bhupal of Munagapaka, who fell sick due to acute dehydration and had to be hospitalised. Narendra could not be reached either by his friends in Ukraine or his family members. Srikanth traced him using his contacts. Several others from AP got his help to return to India.
‘Little trouble at border’
Security forces in Ukraine and Poland are very helpful in issuing temporary visas, Chinta Srikanth said and added that Poland opened more border checkposts in view of rush of refugees.