Even as the world is gearing up to deal with nuclear catastrophe, the lax attitude of Indian authorities in screening the people coming from the island nation can result in severe consequences.
Officials told FE on conditions of anonymity that, ?No one from the National Diasater Management Authority (NDMA) was present at the airport to monitor the passengers who returned on the Air India flight late Wednesday night.
NDMA has a total number of 52 distinguished professionals from ministries/departments including Department of Atomic Energy, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Defence Research & Development Organisation, ministry of health and family welfare, ministry of home affairs and ministry of defence to deal with several emergency situations including nuclear radiation.
Sources said that, ?The flight from Tokyo was delayed by several hours, therefore NDMA team was not in full numbers. However, the number of passengers screened were safe, but with radiation threats mounting in disaster-hit Japan, there will be stricter checks done on passengers coming from there.?
The external affairs ministry has said that 30 Indians had been evacuated from the city of Sendai, among the worst hit. The Indian community in Japan is 25,000 strong.
At least 23 nuclear and rescue workers have been injured and 20 have received high radiation doses so far at the plant, the IAEA said on Thursday.
After meeting representatives of the Indian community in Tokyo, Indian ambassador Alok Prasad said, “They (rescued Indians) have not faced any danger of radiation. They were in the areas struck with the tsunami and were taken to different evacuation camps. We were able to get in touch with all of them, move them to a hotel for a day and then move them to Tokyo.”
