India setting up control rooms for stranded nationals on Ukraine borders

New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) India is setting up control rooms and helpline numbers and for its citizens stranded in Ukraine at the border checks-post with Poland, Romania and Hungary.

The Indian Embassy in Kiev stated that the helpline numbers are being set up at the respective check-points to facilitate evacuation through the borders.

"The numbers would be shared once the control rooms are established," the Embassy stated.

These control rooms will be based in Poland, Romania and Hungary and they will be managed by the Indian officials posted in those countries.

In the meantime, the Embassy has shared the numbers of a few officials stationed in Poland. Pankaj Garg (+48660460815) is stationed at the Shehyni-Medyka border check-post.

The Embassy office at the Krakowiec crossing is headed by Shubham Kumar (+48881551271).

The Embassy stated that the liaison office in Lviv in Ukraine is operational and managed by Mira Berezovska (+380679335064) and Vivek Kumar (+48881551273).

Earlier, the Embassy had issued emergency numbers based out of Ukraine.

Partha Satpathy, the Ambassador of India to Ukraine, had stated that he is inundated with calls, so is the Embassy and they are doing their best to help.

The helpline numbers issued by the Embassy are +38 0997300483, +38 0997300428, +38 0933980327, +38 0635917881 and +38 0935046170.

On Thursday, Satpathy had stated that the situation is highly tense and very uncertain and this of course is causing a lot of anxiety.

He had urged Indian nationals to stay put wherever they are, in their familiar locations.

"Those who are in transit, please return to your familiar places of habitation. Those who are stranded here in Kiev, please get in touch with your friends and colleagues, universities and other community members, so that you can temporarily lodge there," he had said.