Name: PM reviews India's nuclear safety measures
Uploaded: 2011-06-01T11:48:56+05:30
Description: New measures like the installation of radiation-measuring gadgets in 35 cities were discussed.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday reviewed India's nuclear disaster preparedness in the backdrop of the accident in Japan's nuclear power plants following the devastating earthquake and massive tsunami on March 11, 2011. Singh met the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and discussed the nuclear disaster preparedness at his residence 7 Race Course Road in New Delhi. 
 
He tasked the NDMA to put in place world's best possible safety precautions and procedures at all the nuclear plants in the country. The Prime Minister had decided to call a review meeting soon after he returned from his six-day two nation tour of Ethiopia and Tanzania. 
 
"We will look beyond design based accident possibility. :Radiological sources like Mayapuri incident have much more fatality potential than nuclear disasters like Fukushima (nuclear plant in Japan)," NDMA Vice Chairman M Shashidhar Reddy said after the meeting. 
 
Reddy was referring to the radiation leak in Delhi's Mayapuri area in 2010 in which eight people were exposed to radiation with one of them later dying. Some cobalt pencils from a Gamma cell were auctioned to a scrap dealer in Mayapuri area of the national capital by Delhi University. 
 
The National Radiation Emergency Response team of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre later recovered the 16 cobalt pencils which were scattered in a scrap yard in Mayapuri. 
 
Reddy added that Singh expressed concern that reaction time to tsunami in Sumatra-Andaman region was only 20-30 minutes. 
 
"He has asked us to reach out to people in the Andaman region and prepare for such eventuality," said Reddy. 
 
The meeting also discussed new measures like the installation of hi-tech radiation-measuring gadgets in 35 cities, including major metros like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. 
 
Singh also reviewed guidelines issued by the NDMA for nuclear and radiological emergencies. 
 
The meeting also discussed fast-tracking of other steps like creation of disaster response forces in places in addition to existing four and procurement of special radiation-detection vehicles. 
 
He reviewed the nuclear safety issues being looked after by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and Department of Atomic Energy, sources said. 
 
Among the various steps to be considered as part of the chemical, biological, radiological nuclear response and rescue preparedness is a project for installation of 'dosi-meters' in 1000 police stations in 35 cities having more than 1 million population. 
 
Dosi-meters are hi-tech gadgets which monitor and measure radiation levels. . He will also review the functioning of the National Defence Response Force(NDRF) whose four battalions are stationed at Noida (outside Delhi), Kolkata, Arakkonam (Tamil Nadu) and Pune. 
 
The proposal for creation of six more battalions of the force was also be considered with expectations that these could be fast-tracked. 
 
The meeting of the NDMA, which is headed by the Prime Minister, also decided to procure four 'Hazmat' vehicles, which have radiation data analysis capabilities, and one chemical, biological and radiological nuclear surveillance vehicle, sources said. 
 
The preparedness to meet other forms of disasters like earthquakes were also discussed with special focus on National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project being prepared covering 239 districts in 22 states and union territories falling in Zone IV and V. 
 
To ensure that new constructions are resistant to quakes, NDMA has prepared draft guidelines to link bank finance for housing projects with compliance of National Building Codes at the request of RBI. 
 
After approval of the proposal, the RBI will circulate it to all banks for compliance. 
 
Guidelines for bank funding for infrastructure projects are under preparation, sources said. 
 
Efforts to evolve disaster risk transfer -- insurance and risk finance mechanism at individual, regional and national level -- will also be deliberated upon, with proposals to increase insurance cover through suitable incentives. 
 
The meeting also discussed a proposal for conducting a national exercise on the pattern of Federal Emergency Management Agency of the US, involving the states of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand. 
 
Other states are proposed to be covered in subsequent exercises, the sources said. 
 
(With additional information from PTI)

PM reviews India's nuclear safety measures

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New measures like the installation of radiation-measuring gadgets in 35 cities were discussed.

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PM reviews India's nuclear safety measures

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