The former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, on Friday supported a review of the country's nuclear facilities in the wake of the Japan crisis, even as his associate and former Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, Anil Kakodkar, stressed that there was no need for knee-jerk reaction.
On the sidelines of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) convocation ceremony on Friday, Mr. Kalam said Japan's calamity called for a review of the existing and upcoming nuclear facilities in India.
“The government felt the need to review the nuclear and strategic locations in view of the developments in Japan,” he said.
Mr. Kalam's statement comes amid questions whether the proposed Jaitapur nuclear plant can withstand a high intensity earthquake followed by a tsunami.
Asked whether there was a need to review the conditions at the proposed Jaitapur plant, he said, “Though the technology in the forthcoming projects is latest, new conditions need to be set with reference to the new situation.”
Addressing journalists, Dr. Kakodkar said India could take many lessons from the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant. “But nothing should be a knee jerk reaction. There is no need for panic, yet we don't need to be complacent. We need to understand the causes at Fukushima and arrive at adequate safeguards for the existing and new plants in India.”
Potential different
The seismic potential in Japan and India were different. Understanding the situation in the Indian context was necessary. Though Japan's case was different, India needed to learn from every event. “The situation is indeed rare. It has occurred due to a cooling crisis at the Fukushima plant,” he added.
Keywords: Japan nuclear accident, Indian nuclear policy
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