BHUBANESWAR: A Fresh advisory by the Indian Embassy in Ukraine asking all those stranded in the country to fill up a Google form for their evacuation has failed to instill fresh hope among those in the active war zone of Sumy, including the five from Odisha. Their situation, too, has seen no improvement amid airstrikes.
The students, holed up in hostels of Sumy State Medical University at Zamostyans’ka Street, said although they have filled up the form, nobody from the embassy has contacted them yet and there is no word on evacuation. “We have made at least 20 attempts to contact the Indian Embassy today but there was no response,” said Smruti Nayak, an Odia student who has been suffering from bronchiolitis since the war began and sent an SOS for medicines to volunteers facilitating help to the stranded Indians.
Nayak was in his apartment in the morning but had to shift to hostel 2 of the university later in the day following a blast close to the place. His four other Odia friends along with Indian students continued to stay in the hostel 3. They said the number of airstrikes has reduced on Sunday compared to Saturday.
“There were a minimum of 10 to 15 strikes yesterday. Today though, there were three including the one in the evening,” Nayak added.
With food stock exhausted, they received a water tanker, bread and eggs from an Indian national who runs a pharmacy in Sumy. “Water supply has not been completely restored and we continue to melt ice and stock it for consumption. Since there is very little hope for us to escape this place, we urge volunteers and the embassy to at least facilitate food, water and medicines for us. We can survive on dry food but unless we get adequate supply for water, the health condition of many others will deteriorate,” said Gouri Shankar Parida, another student from Balasore.
Meanwhile, another large group of 70 Odisha students reached Romania from Pescochyn on the day and are waiting for an onward journey to India. As per the office of State Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, 44 Odisha students returned to the country on Sunday. A total 305 Odisha students have returned to India since the war broke out.