KARWAR: A retired IAS officer alleged that the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has ignored radiation and environmental risks in setting up the proposed fifth and sixth reactors of Kaiga Nuclear Power Station.
EAS Sarma who was a secretary to the union ministries of power and finance has written a letter to secretary of DAE, chairman of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and the chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.
He has gone through the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports but it does not make any assessment of the risks associated with nuclear power generation units and the likely adverse impacts. He said until a complete study is done, the proposed public hearing (on December 15) should be cancelled. As the project is “prima facie not viable, the DAE should not go ahead with the expansion”, he said.
Sarma said post Fukushima accident, there has been worldwide anxiety about the consequences of catastrophic nuclear accidents, either due to manual lapses or natural calamities.
“Many countries are opting for independent nuclear regulatory authorities to tighten the safety aspects of nuclear power, whereas, in India, AERB continues to be subordinate to DAE,” he said.