N-deal Failure: India to lose more than US technology

A former AEC chairman said that not only access to US nuke technology, but India would also lose cooperation with Russia and France.

Backing out from the Indo-US nuclear deal will deny India access to a permanent source of energy, M R Srinivasan, a member of National Security Advisory Board and former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, has said.

It will also deny the country overseas nuclear technology, he said delivering a lecture on 8216;Indo-US Nuclear Agreement and its Impact on Indian Economy8217;, organised by the Kerala Management Association, on Tuesday night.

Srinivasan said without the agreement, the country will have much more to lose. 8220;Not only access to American nuclear technology, but also cooperation with Russia and France.8221;

On the uncertainty on going ahead with the deal, Srinivasan said, 8220;If we had a political consensus, the current situation would not have arisen8221;.

The Left parties, supporting the UPA government from outside, should set aside their concerns against India entering into a treaty with the US.

8220;In the coalition era we are living in, it is best that a measure of consensus is built on vital issues, including the nuclear deal,8221; he said.

Apart from the Left parties, BJP and UNPA had also expressed their reservation about the accord, he said, adding, 8220;The situation now is that there will be a discussion in the Parliament and if the majority in the house say 8216;no8217;, I do not know how they will go ahead8221;.

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8220;The merits of the agreement have not receded in the complexity of our political situation,8221; the nuclear expert said.

India had built a strong base in nuclear field, prompting the US to cooperate with the country, Srinivasan said.

However, he admitted that the US8217; Hyde Act, the base of the nuclear deal, was not completely in favour of India.

8220;Probably the Act does not allow us a further nuclear test and has provision regarding termination of treaty in that,8221; he said.

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But any agreement reached between two parties will not completely satisfy both of them, he added.

In the coming years, India would require more energy to keep pace with the growing economy, he said, adding, low energy production would affect the speed of development.

The country would be able to produce energy effectively from thorium in large scale within a couple of decades since efforts in that direction had already been started, he said.

He said former Kerala Chief Ministers K Karunakaran and late E K Nayanar were keen on setting up nuclear power stations in the state.

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During his tenure as the chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, both of them had asked him to find a suitable site for the nuclear power station, Srinivasan said.

Though Boothathankettu in Ernakulam district was suggested for setting up the plant, it was not selected owing to the high population density in that area, he added.