Govt clears decks for n-regulator

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government today hurriedly cleared the decks for a long-pending nuclear regulatory authority at a top-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The step was taken in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan coupled with the fear of another Anna Hazare-type protest in Jaitapur, Maharashtra, over the proposed nuclear power plant.

In the meeting, Singh emphasised the need for an independent and autonomous authority to oversee the safety and security concerns of nuclear plants. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, which had been opposing the formation of the new body for the past few years, dropped its objections following the Prime Minister’s push.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State (MoS) for Environment & Forests Jairam Ramesh, MoS in Prime Minister’s Office V Narayanasamy, Atomic Energy Secretary Srikumar Banerjee, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister T K A Nair, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Chairman S K Jain and other senior officials were present.

The Prime Minister did not speak much in the meeting and allowed the other stake-holders to share their points of view. According to sources, Ramesh stressed on safety arrangements and some environmental concerns but also pitched for the clean nuclear energy. Sensing the mood of the meeting, Banerjee, too, didn’t oppose the new regulatory body.

The Maharashtra chief minister proposed that a retired chief justice of India can head the regulatory authority which would consist of top experts in the field of science and nuclear energy. The final decision regarding the structure of the authority was not taken today.

Top sources told Business Standard that the Prime Minister was keen to hold this meeting to clear the air on Jaitapur in the wake of the protests. The UPA government feared that if signs of dilemma continued it might again lead to a civil society movement like it faced over the Lokpal Bill. Chavan reported in the meeting that already a lot of civil society members and outsiders were protesting against the proposed nuclear power plant in Jaitapur. Anna Hazare, however, has pledged support for the plant to Chavan.