Homecoming woes for Indians in Japan

Non-availability of flight tickets has made it difficult for the nearly 25,000 Indians settled in the quake-ravaged, radiation-threatened nation to get home

With Japan inching closer to a full-fledged nuclear meltdown with every passing day since Friday's earthquake-tsunami double whammy, nearly 25,000 Indians settled in the country are frantically looking for ways to get home.


Long wait: Ghatkopar resident Bharati Bhat is anxiously awaiting the
arrival of her daughter Suma and son-in-law Prakash, both of whom are
software professionals based in Tokyo. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Indian corporate houses with operations in the quake-ravaged nation are also trying to get in touch with their staff to get the Indians home and move the local staffers to safer locations. Their quest, however, is made difficult by the non-availability of seats in flights from Japan to India.u00a0MiD DAY spoke to Ghatkopar resident Bharati Bhat, who is concerned about the well being of her daughter Suma and son-in-law Prakash, both of whom are software professionals based in Tokyo.

"First it was the earthquake, then the tsunami and now the radiation leak -- I fear the worst every time I hear about the developments in Japan. I couldn't speak to my daughter on Friday and was very relieved when she called me the next day and said she was far away from the affected area. But, on hearing about the radiation leak, I asked her to come to India immediately. They are, however, struggling to get tickets," said Bharati.

Panicked
Speaking to MiD DAY from Japan, Suma confirmed that Indians in Japan were indeed panicking and the non-availability of flight tickets and shortage of foodstuff in supermarkets was only adding to the fear. She did, however, also say that many people were indulging in knee-jerk reactions. Like many other Indians, Suma has moved from Tokyo to Osaka, 600km away from the affected area, as Air India operates three flights to Delhi from there every week.

"I am planning to return to India as soon as possible. If I don't get a direct flight, I will go to my cousin's place in Hong Kong first. My husband, Prakash, will either stay back in Japan or go to New Zealand," said Suma.
"The company I work for has allowed me to go on leave and return after a while," she added.

Corporate efforts
IT giants Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), L&T Infotech and Wipro have offered their Indian employees in Japan the option of coming back home and have decided to move the local staff to safer locations.
A spokesperson for L&T Infotech said, "We have around 123 Indian employees and their families in Okayama and the management has decided to get all of them back home. The logistics for their return are being planned out accordingly."

A TCS spokesperson said, "The safety of employees is our top priority. We are in close touch with our team in Japan around the clock and have set up a communications system to provide frequent updates to them. We are ready to relocate our Indian employees and their families back to India and to move our local Japanese employees and their families to safe locations. We are also engaged with our customers to see how they can be supported."

Air India's take
An Air India spokesperson said, "We are operating commercial flights and are not conducting rescue operations because, unlike Libya, no such instructions have been issued by the government so far. People may not be getting tickets because of advance bookings. We operate seven flights to Japan every week -- 4 to Narita and 3 to Osaka." However, he refused to comment if there was a hike in airfare on the sector.

2%
Japan's contribution to Indian Information Technology exports, according to NASSCOM

Fare watch
R30,000-40,000
Mumbai-Tokyo return fare on average days
R38,000- 1 lakh'
Fare for departure on March 20 and return on March 21
'Information taken from online travel portals

Indians rescued
Group Captain I S Waliva, who is attached to the Indian Embassy in Japan, told MiD DAY, "We have managed to rescue 35 to 40 Indians from Sendai, which was the epicentre of the earthquake. All of them are fine. We are following the instructions given by the Japanese government and people have been evacuated from a radius of 30 km around the affected nuclear plant. We are monitoring the situation closely in the affected areas and are also keeping the MEA informed about the same. We do not, however, have data on the number of Indians who have left Japan."