Parents a relieved lot as stranded children return from Russia

Nagpur: Sunita Wanjari, a resident of Garoba Maidan, was at the Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport as early as 8pm on Wednesday to receive her daughter even though the Vande Bharat flight was scheduled to touch down at midnight from Moscow.
“I am not tired at all,” she responded, eagerly waiting outside the arrivals when team TOI spoke to her around 11.50pm.
Similarly, Rajat Yedu from Raipur, Sikhander Ahmed from Bhopal, Himendra Singh Chandel from Ujjain and many more parents and siblings had reached the airport hours before the flight arrival to pick up their children.
“More than the joy it a relief to see them back home safely in the time of a pandemic,” said Dimpy Bajaj, who had come to receive her sister.
Being the first Vande Bharat Mission flight to land in Nagpur, 145 MBBS students stranded in Russian since March lockdown reached the city.
NCP MLC Prakash Gajbhiye was the only public representative to welcome the students and remain till all of them left for their destinations around 3.30am.
Another Vande Bharat flight from Russia with as many stranded students and other citizens is likely to land at Nagpur on June 23.
Of the 145 students, 28 were from Nagpur. They were immediately sent to 14-day paid quarantine at a private hotel. Another 51 students were from rest of Maharashtra. One student from Bhandara was also quarantined in city as his father and another relative along with the driver had come to pick him up. Fearing close contact with the family members during journey, officials advised him to get quarantined.
The Chhattisgarh government had sent a sleeper bus for its 41 students who boarded it at the arrivals and immediately left for Raipur, around 280 kms from here, where they too would be quarantined in a private hotel. Raipur district officials escorted the students in separate official cars.
The 25 students and their parents from Madhya Pradesh had too make their own arrangements. Parents had driven in their cars to Nagpur. “My son is in MBBS fourth year. Entire family used to go to Indore for receiving him in all his previous vacation time. This time, I have come alone as only three persons are allowed to travel. He was trying to come early but couldn’t land a seat,” said Ujjain-based Chandel.
Parents from Gwalior, Jabalpur, Narsingpur and Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh had come to pick up their children.
Dimpy and Raipur’s Yedu too said getting a ticket was difficult. “Lakhs of Indians are stranded and we believe it was sheer luck that my sister could get a seat on this flight,” she said.
They thanked MLC Gajbhiye, Union minister and city MP Nitin Gadkari, CM Uddhav Thackeray and the central government for facilitating the students’ return.