Ukraine evacuation: Punjab control room received 325 distress calls in one day

To help Punjabis stranded in war-torn Ukraine, Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari on Saturday reviewed the status of calls recieved by the State Government’s dedicated 24×7 Control Room numbers. So far the control room had received 325 distress calls. The control room was set-up on Friday night to assist the people from Punjab, stuck in war-hit Ukraine. CS directed all the Deputy Commissioners, CPs and SSPs to immediately update the data with passport numbers of all the stranded persons to ascertain the actual number of persons stuck.

Chairing a high-level meeting of Deputy Commissioners, CPs and SSPs, the Chief Secretary urged the affected persons and their relatives to immediately contact on the Punjab Government’s helpline numbers 1100 (to call from within Punjab) and +91-172-4111905 (to call from outside India). He said that total 325 calls have been received so far on these control room numbers and these queries are being immediately forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs, GoI for safe and secure evacuation of persons stranded in Ukraine.

Tewari also asked Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, Resident Commissioner, Punjab, to set up a Punjab Help Desk at New Delhi Airport to assist persons arriving from Ukraine, besides coordinating for their safe travel to homes. The Chief Secretary appealed the parents and relatives of the stranded persons to ask their children not to move to any border posts without prior coordination with Government of India Officials and follow the guidelines of MEA, GoI strictly.