M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, May 27: The Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for three months now. Many people from other countries and even Ukraine nationals had to flee from there due to the difficult situations.
There were many Indian nationals including Jharkhand residents who returned to their homes in India.
One such person was Shubham Kumar. He was doing his master’s degree course in international business in Kyiv. After the war started, he spent Rs 34,900 for his airfare from Kiev (Ukraine) to Delhi.
Similarly, a girl named Lateeka Theeteeyo of Durup panchayat of Netarhat police station in Latehar district too came to India by spending her own money.
Raj Nandini, daughter of Manoj Kumar Gupta of Barwadeeh block in Latehar district, also fled from Ukraine.
Lateeka Theeteeyo and Raj Nandini were doing medical teaching there in Kiev.
At that time, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had announced then that students of Jharkhand studying in Ukraine, who would be coming back ‘on their own’ by air, will be reimbursed their airfare by the state government.
The announcement was loudly appreciated by everyone. The CM had even said that our government brought home thousands of migrants during the Covid pandemic at our cost. So our Jharkhand students studying in Ukraine on their homecoming will be reimbursed for their airfare by his government.
Later, the government of India launched its rescue operation for Indian students who were stranded in various parts of Ukraine and brought them back to Delhi for an onward journey to their respective home states and district.
But there are more than four dozen Jharkhand students who reached here by spending their own money. Now they look forward to the reimbursement for the airfare as announced by the Jharkhand CM.
Shubham Kumar left Kiev on February 21, 2022 hours ahead of the invasion of the Russian troops in this country. He read the advisory of the Indian embassy and wasted no time getting out of Ukraine. He travelled by Turkish Airlines and Kuwait Airways reaching Delhi via Istanbul and Dubai on February 22 finally landing in his native block Mohammadganj in Palamu on February 24 by train.
He sent a screenshot of his airfare from Kyiv Ukraine to Delhi having a fare summary of Rs 34, 900 to lagatar24.com.
Shubham Kumar said no government functionary, even of the Mohammadganj block, ever visited him on behalf of the district administration to know his ordeals.
He said there is no clue about the reimbursement for his airfare worth. He has no idea whether he and many others like him will ever be reimbursed their money.
Jyoti, the aunt of Lateeka Theeteeyo, told this correspondent that her niece is also waiting for the reimbursement.
Those students who were rescued by the Indian government and brought back to the country by the government flights are not entitled to any reimbursement but those who fled and paid from their accounts their airfare look forward to the reimbursement.
Palamu Deputy Commissioner Shashi Ranjan on being contacted said he has no idea about this.
Asked if he has seen any letter of the state government to this effect, the DC said as far as he recalls, no such letter was presented to him by his officials.
However, the Palamu DC said, “We understand nearly half a dozen students of Palamu studying in Ukraine have come home following the war there. Our officials did prepare a list of these returnees but there is no development of it.”