New York, Oct 13: India's Kakrapara Atomic Power Plant (KAP) in Surat is "best station" when it comes to controlling radiation but still it emits radiation three times as much as international norms, Chairman of India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) S. P. Sukhatme was today quoted as saying. "There is a clear need for reducing the exposure to workers," he told Christian Science Monitor. Sukhamte was quoted as saying that he had in February asked the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd- the government-owned manufacturer of nuclear plants - to plug leakage of water contaminated with tritium, a highly radioactive substance, from reactors. But other experts like Chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar told the paper that the real problem is that new technology designed to upgrade safety at power plants is too expensive for developing countries like India.
India should not be held accountable to international standards until the international community helps make such technology available to developing countries, Kakodkar was quoted as saying. "Safety and technology cannot be divorced," he adds.
The paper says that while the government releases no information about leaks or accidents at its nuclear power plants, Dhirendra Sharma, a scientist who has written extensively on India's atomic-power projects, has compiled figures based on his own reporting. "An estimated 300 incidents have occurred, causing radiation leaks and physical damage to workers, he says. "These have so far remained official secrets". Bureau Report