Three-fold hike in flight fare holds Indian students’ back

A first year medical student from Erode, who returned from Ukraine on Saturday, said that a three-fold hike in flight fare delayed the return plans of thousands of Indian students who continue to be stranded in the war-hit Ukraine.

V. Karisni, who is pursuing undergraduate medical programme at Bogomolets National Medical University, told The Hindu that earlier, a round trip cost ₹35,000 to ₹40,000, while a one-way ticket now costs ₹60,000. “The hike in fare is not affordable for all the students, therefore they were stranded,” she added.

She said that though many booked tickets, their flights were cancelled later. The student said that due to a cyber attack in Ukraine, she could not withdraw money from banks and hence her parents, Balraj and Vijayakumari at Nadarmedu in the city, booked the flight ticket. She boarded a special flight at Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on February 22 that arrived in New Delhi the next day and reached Chennai on February 25. 

She joined the university in December, 2021 and said that students and the local people never thought that situation would worsen. “Tension prevailed only in border areas and we are as usual”, she said.

Karisni said that while the university has asked their seniors to stay on the campus due to examinations, first year students were not given any instructions. “We were told that in case of any war, the Indian Embassy will evacuate us safely” she added.

She said that her friends moved to bunkers on February 24 and she was in contact with them until Saturday morning. After that the mobile numbers went offline, and there has been no news since...