Govt body to review nuclear projects in India

In the wake of the recent nuclear crisis in Japan, the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), a regulatory body, has planned to carry out a thorough review of nuclear plants in India.

"We are undertaking a thorough review of the nuclear plants in the country to see if they will remain safe in times of disaster. India can go ahead with the nuclear energy projects if they are found safe," Baldev Raj, Director IGCAR, said.

He asserted that India has lessons to learn from the nuclear disasters that occurred in the world.

About the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant, he said the coastal place was not likely to hit by that kind of earthquake or Tsunami, but also said it was difficult to predict how the earth would behave fifty years on.

"These are the kind of issues that are being looked by the atomic regulatory body. If the Atomic Regulatory and Utility Committee finds answers to some of the questions, then India should utilise the nuclear resources," he said.

Raj was speaking on the sidelines of Dr AS Rao Memorial Lecture on 'Ethics Energy and Equity'. The event was organised by Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences, IICT, CCMB and NGRI as a national technology day celebrations.