Kolkata: Against the backdrop of the AMRI
Hospital fire which had raised the spectre of a radioactive
leak, the West Bengal government has set up a high-level
committee to assess safety measures in the use of radioactive
material in health and research facilities.
The committee has been set up in consultation with the
Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) which has framed
well-defined guidelines to be followed during operation of
medical equipment using radioactive material.
State Environment Minister Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar told
a news agency, "Any violation of the Standard Operating Procedure, set
by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), during use of
radioactive material, particularly in health and research
laboratories, should be monitored."
Ghosh Dastidar said scientists at the VECC had been asked
to see if medical and research facilities in the state using
radioactive materials were following instructions of the AERB.
The minister said he had held elaborate discussion with
VECC director, RK Bhandari, before setting up the committee
which comprised experts of VECC and state government.
The committee would submit its report to the state
government shortly, the minister said.
VECC and BARC scientists had visited AMRI Hospital at
Dhakuria in south Kolkata when the fire destroyed most of the
equipment triggering speculation of a spread of radioactive
rays from materials allegedly stored in radiology department.
PTI
