200 Gujarati families leave Japan, head home

As many as 200 Gujarati families in Japan have started leaving the country for India. A few of the families are scheduled to land in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Amid dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima, authorities in Japan on Tuesday intensified evacuation. As a result, Indians, particularly Gujarati families, decided to leave Japan and return to India.

“On Tuesday, the radiation panic suddenly gripped Japan and so more than 200 Gujarati families decided to leave the country for India. As everyone did not get tickets, they will be flying to India one by one in the next flights,” said Bipin Soni of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj.

Soni further said that the Samaj had made all arrangements for medical facilities, accommodation and food. “Not only in Ahmedabad but we have also made arrangements in Gujarat Bhavan in New Delhi. The families will first land in New Delhi via Singapore. After that, a few families will be flying to Mumbai and a few to Ahmedabad and Surat,” he said.

Talking about families in Japan, Soni said that many of them are diamond traders. “So there are chances that they will prefer to go to Surat directly form Delhi after landing in India,” he said.
Shrikant Shah of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj in Japan has been coordinating with Gujarati families in Japan. “Shah has made arrangements for the Gujarati families to fly back to India. He himself has booked tickets to come back to India on Friday,” said Soni.