DAE sets up panel to address concerns over Kudankulam N-power project

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has constituted an Expert Group comprising 15 specialists to address concerns regarding safety of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), in Tamil Nadu.

The group will interact with officials of the state government and spokespersons of the people in the neighbourhood of KKNPP with a view to clear any doubts about the safety of the project, an official release said today.

The expert group will explain the factual position on various aspects of the project and will also dispel apprehensions of some sections of the local people. The expert group comprises renowned academicians, scientists, doctors and engineers specialising in areas like environmental science, radiation safety, nuclear reactor design, nuclear reactor safety, nuclear regulatory aspects, nuclear waste management, oncology, oceanography, fisheries, thermal ecology, seismology etc.

The group includes Nurul Islam University vice chancellor Dr A E Muthunayagam, former director of radiation safety at IAEA, Vienna Dr M R Iyer, Former professor of thermal ecology at Mangalore University M N Madhyastha, director of school of life sciences (fisheries) at Chennai's VELS University Prof N Sukumaran, professor of fisheries at the Central Institute of Fisheries Education at Versova, Mumbai. Dr A K Pal, chairperson and oncologists at Adyar Cancer Institute Dr V Shantha, associate professor and surgeon/oncologist at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel Dr C S Pramesh, Panikkar Professor of seismology at NGRI, Hyderabad Prof Harsh K Gupta, IIT Bombay professor of safety research (mechanical engineering) Prof Kannan Iyer, professor of safety research (mechanical engineering) at IIT-Madras Prof D V R Murthy, design director for nuclear reactors at BARC's reactor group S K Mehta, former chairman (regulatory aspects) at AERB S K Sharma, former director of Nuclear Waste Management Group at BARC K Balu, Raja Ramanna Fellow for reactor safety at the Safety Research Institute, Kalpakkam, Dr S M Lee and former director (operations) of Heavy Water Board Chemical Plant Safety W Stephen Aruldoss Kanthiah.

The centre has asked the government of Tamil Nadu to provide an appropriate platform where the expert group can meet senior state government officials, spokespersons of the neighbourhood identified by the government of Tamil Nadu and deliberate on issues raised in the recent times such as seismicity, tsunami, radiation in the environment, impact on fishing, thermal ecology, waste management, etc.