| The news of Radioactive Leakages inDelhi spread | | | | uranium and sold it to Bhanushali who probably |
| like wildfire and alarmed the world community to | | | | passed it on to Savitri and Dalapathi. The arrested |
| take notice of the irresponsibility of the Indian | | | | men are suspected to be "mediators" in a deal |
| Government in tackling the delicate material that | | | | with a third party. The police are yet to find the |
| can reach the wrong hands at any time. | | | | watchman and establish the identity of the |
| | | | | possible buyer, the sources conceded. It was also |
| In the present age where terrorism has become | | | | revealed that the company did not have any |
| an ugly threat for the whole world, the | | | | CCTV facility with them to ensure a close watch |
| international community cannot ignore the stealing | | | | at the most important and sensitive storage |
| and leakages of radioactive material in India that | | | | facility. |
| can easily reach into the hands of those forces | | | | |
| who want to create one or two highly dangerous | | | | Detail report about United Nation's atomic |
| bombs to be used any time when they find the | | | | watchdog's actions on the issue of dangerous |
| times as right.. | | | | dumping of radioactive material inside |
| | | | | the Delhi University is as follows |
| I feel contended that I am among the very few | | | | |
| journalists in this world who raised alarms since | | | | Source: Rediff IndiaMay 02, 201000:22 IST |
| last few years about Indian irresponsibility to | | | | |
| handle its nuclear installations, storage facilities and | | | | The UN atomic watchdog sought more |
| handling the waste material possessing high | | | | information from India about mishandling of |
| radioactivity. | | | | radioactive material by DelhiUniversity, as the |
| | | | | country's nuclear regulator conducted inspections |
| To the shock of the international community, the | | | | at the varsity campus. |
| news surfaced that Delhi University is being held | | | | The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, country's |
| responsible to burry a substantial quantity of | | | | apex radiation safety regulator, inspected the |
| radioactive material within their premises more | | | | University's radioactive material storage room |
| than a decade before, endangering the lives of | | | | after it reported seepage of rainwater in it. |
| hundreds of students who are going to this | | | | The DelhiUniversity is in the eye of a storm after |
| Institution to seek valuable knowledge and | | | | it came to light that Cobalt-60, which led to |
| prosperous future.. The detailed news is as under. | | | | radiation exposure claiming one life in Mayapuri, |
| | | | | originated from the varsity which auctioned a |
| Source: Agence France-Presse | | | | Gamma Irradiator to a scrap dealer. |
| New Delhi, April 30, 2010 | | | | International Atomic Energy Agency spokesman |
| India's atomic energy regulator said on Friday that | | | | Marc Vridricaire said in Vienna that the watchdog |
| it was investigating claims thatDelhiUniversity (DU) | | | | had become aware "of the possibility of a serious |
| buried radioactive material on its campus, amidst | | | | radiation emergency at Mayapuri in New Delhi" via |
| an escalating scandal over its handling of toxic | | | | media reports on April 9. |
| waste. | | | | As a result, the IAEA's Incident and Emergency |
| Police on Thursday blamed DU for dumping an | | | | Centre "has contacted India's Department of |
| irradiation machine containing radioactive Cobalt-60, | | | | Atomic Energy to request information" and offer |
| which ended up in scrapyard inNew Delhi, where it | | | | help, Vridricaire said. |
| killed a 35-year-old worker and put seven others | | | | The IAEA's Incident and Emergency Centre was |
| in hospital. The incident has highlighted the lax | | | | "continuing to seek further information on this |
| enforcement of waste disposal laws in India and | | | | event," Vridicaire said. |
| raised fears of further contamination from the | | | | "And the IAEA stands ready to assist Indian |
| university, the city's biggest institute with 300,000 | | | | authorities upon request," the official added. |
| students spread over two sites.The Atomic | | | | In New Delhi, DelhiUniversity and the AERB |
| Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) said Friday it | | | | rejected claims that 20 kg of uranium was |
| had suspended the licence to handle radioactive | | | | "dumped" inside the campus a few years ago and |
| material of the chemistry laboratory responsible | | | | ruled out fears about safety of radioactive |
| for throwing out the irradiation machine. | | | | materials in its laboratories. |
| "University authorities and students cannot use | | | | Varsity Vice Chancellor Deepak Pental termed it |
| the laboratory until we give them clearance," | | | | as wrong that 20 kg of uranium was buried in the |
| Ompal Singh, secretary of AERB, said. | | | | campus as claimed by a terminated professor. |
| Ramesh Chandra, a professor in the chemistry | | | | "This is wrong. If 20 kg of uranium was dumped |
| department, said on Friday that his counterparts in | | | | somewhere in the campus, it would not have |
| the physics faculty had buried 20 kilograms of | | | | been possible for us to sit here," he said. |
| low-grade radioactive waste in a pit on campus 20 | | | | Pental alleged that Prof Ramesh Chandra, who |
| years ago "Instead of handing over the hazardous | | | | made these allegations, "could have done this to |
| material...for proper disposal, they just buried it," | | | | settle personal score as he has been terminated |
| he said. "Though it's been 20 years the buried | | | | from the service for financial irregularities." |
| isotopes of substances like uranium could still be | | | | AERB scientist Dr Raju Kumar said that there |
| active." Singh said the regulator was looking into | | | | was no evidence about radioactive material being |
| waste management by the university and will | | | | dumped inside the campus. He, however, said |
| scrutinise the new allegations by Chandra."We will | | | | "there were certain radioactive materials which did |
| verify the professor's claims. If toxic waste is | | | | not have proper labelling and they have been |
| found, then we will take strict action against the | | | | taken care of." |
| university," Singh said. | | | | The experts of the AERB inspected the physics |
| DelhiUniversity declined to comment on the issue. | | | | department premises after water was found |
| The gamma irradiation machine found in theDelhi | | | | inside a pit where radioactive materials were |
| scrapyard earlier this month was imported by the | | | | stored. |
| university in 1980, but had not been used since | | | | "There were minor discrepancies in the pit. But |
| 1985. It was sold to scrap dealers at auction in | | | | there is nothing to fear from the security point of |
| February. Vice-chancellor Deepak Pental said on | | | | view. We have fixed the problem," Raju Kumar of |
| Thursday that the university "takes moral | | | | the AERB told the media after the four-hour-long |
| responsibility and was apologetic for the damages | | | | examination. |
| caused."He said the "mistake" was underestimating | | | | "The officials inspected the source room where |
| the radioactivity of the machine. A three-member | | | | the radioactive materials are being kept. The pit |
| committee has been set up to investigate. Search | | | | where the sources are kept is filled with rain |
| teams from the police and an atomic research | | | | water for the past few days," a senior official |
| centre found Cobalt-60 in 15 different shops in | | | | said. |
| the scrap market | | | | A four-member team of the AERB launched a |
| . | | | | probe into lapses by DU in auctioning of |
| Last week, India's Shipping Ministry ordered 12 | | | | radioactive material. The team is also looking for |
| ports to install detectors for radioactive material, | | | | radioactive pencils, which reportedly went missing. |
| fearing other hazardous materials could slip into | | | | Pental said a team of the AERB is currently |
| the country. | | | | investigating the laboratories and has not found |
| Such kind of irresponsibility cannot be forgiven but | | | | any unsafe source of radioactive material. |
| it is ironic that India is taking this matter as less | | | | The National Disaster Management Authority has |
| important. The Indian media is also trying to bury | | | | suggested screening of people residing or visiting |
| this news as much as they can probably upon | | | | Mayapuri scrap yard, which was affected by |
| Government's insistence. Recently when | | | | radiation contamination, and continuation of the |
| repeated incidents were reported about the theft | | | | process of finding more sources of radioactivity in |
| of depleted Uranium and also the much important | | | | the area. |
| "Yellowcake (Urania)", the threat of potential raw | | | | "Screening of the people around the area where |
| material, required for preparation of a nuclear | | | | radioactive Cobalt 60 was found is necessary to |
| bomb, reaching to the hands of terrorists, | | | | rule out the possibility of anyone else being |
| multiplied enormously. The leakages at Kaiga | | | | exposed," a senior member of the NDMA said. |
| Nuclear plant contaminating the drinking water and | | | | The NDMA also recommended scanning of all the |
| the blasts and radioactive leakages at BARC | | | | shops in the scrapyard of Mayapuri to find out |
| laboratories further aggravated the problems and | | | | any remaining sources of cobalt 60, he said. |
| caught the world's attention. | | | | The scrap dealers, who were very closely |
| | | | | exposed to the radiation source, suffered Acute |
| It is extremely laudable that UN is now initiating a | | | | Radiation Syndrome and one of them died and |
| serious probe into the security situation | | | | two more are very critical. |
| inside India to handle the potential radioactive | | | | According to Atomic Energy Regulatory Board |
| material and later about the security of Indian | | | | officials, the screening of scrap shops in Mayapuri |
| Nuclear Arsenal too. At present times, the world | | | | is being carried out by India's Radiation Emergency |
| cannot afford any sort of irresponsibility from a | | | | Response system under the leadership of Dr |
| country which holds massive Nuclear Arsenal and | | | | Pradeep Kumar with the help of the Delhi police |
| huge inventory of radioactive material. Such | | | | using portable detectors, including survey meters |
| irresponsibility can cause major blow to the world | | | | and also teledetectors. |
| peace if the terrorists could build a raw nuclear | | | | |
| bomb that can blow many cities in a blink of an | | | | |
| eye. There are fair chances that many terrorists | | | | Conclusion |
| may have already found India as an easy | | | | It can be clearly stated now that the vulnerability |
| source to obtain basic raw material for their dirty | | | | of Indian nuclear assets and storage facilities is |
| bombs. Ironically India does not maintain any | | | | crossing the dangerous level. If this issue is |
| auditable record of radioactive material that can | | | | ignored and not taken seriously, then the world |
| give a sigh of relief to the international community | | | | should be ready to hear any bad news like 9/11 in |
| that radioactive material inside India is under safe | | | | near future. There is no doubt that terrorists of |
| custody. India unfortunately does practice | | | | Al Qaeda and other organizations have enormous |
| necessary security guidelines to protect the | | | | presence inside India and their prime target is |
| storage and inventory sites spread around the | | | | always the United States of America. I always |
| huge country. It is time when International | | | | fear that if the enemies of humanity have already |
| Atomic Energy Commission to ensure close | | | | obtained required raw material from India for |
| observation over Indian Nuclear Assets and | | | | their dirty bomb, then how this world could be |
| ensure that the world would not suffer anything | | | | able to defeat these mad terrorists. We can only |
| worse due to gross negligence from India. | | | | pray and expect that UN should go deep into this |
| | | | | matter and play its part to secure this region |
| Recently Maharashtra Police sources | | | | from the worst form of human catastrophe for |
| inIndia revealed some shocking facts after the | | | | which India would be responsible beyond any |
| much discussed case of Uranium theft. The | | | | confusion. |
| watchman of a Navi Mumbai company pilfered the | | | | |