Date:14/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/14/stories/2006091413420400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Public concerns on radiation should be properly addressed'

Staff Reporter

Kakodkar opens Emergency Response Centre

EXPLAINING A POINT: Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar (second from left) having a word with K. Kasturirangan, MP and former chairman of ISRO, at the inauguration of the Emergency Response Centre at the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (Southern Region), in Bangalore on Wednesday. With them are Director-General of Police B.S. Sial (right) and Anjan Chaki, director of AMD, Hyderabad. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Bangalore: Standard operating procedures need to be evolved and a sound database of different regions based on GIS (Geographic Information System) set up to handle the Emergency Response Centre (ERC) better, Anil Kakodkar, chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, has said.

He was speaking after inaugurating the ERC at the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, Southern Region, here on Wednesday. Dr. Kakodkar said that the public perception and concerns about the hazards of radiation were different from the actual experience. He said that the public concerns should be adequately addressed by the radiation safety professionals.

"The ERC is a highly evolved framework and has been in place since 1987. It is a well established and well-rehearsed framework," he said. A need was felt to establish such a framework in the public domain. Dr. Kakodar said that the universal adoption of concepts such as safety in depth, redundancy in safety systems, qualified training and safe operating practices backed by an independent and robust regulatory authority would ensure negligible probability of any radiation-related incident at the country's nuclear facilities. The facilities also have in-place structured response mechanisms. The expertise was being used in a national capacity building effort to establish a well-networked radiation emergency response system across the country with expertise made available with various agencies. Dr. Kakodkar said that with the widespread application of radiation in various fields, it was essential to have such a capability on a national scale. He urged the emergency response coordinators to network with the State Government officials and develop standard operating procedures after consulting them.