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Journalism of Courage
The Union government has announced two welcome decisions. One is the decision to continue with the Jaitapur nuclear project,where India is planning to build six nuclear reactors,beginning with two in the first phase. Fast-growing economies like India,and heavily populated ones at that,have no choice but to depend on more and more of nuclear energy in near future to meet their energy requirements as both an economic and clean option. The other decision to convert the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board AERB into an independent and statutory body will have far-reaching consequences for the nuclear industry in India as well as public perception about nuclear plants,the latter still driving the Jaitapur project through rough weather.
While the necessity of nuclear energy in near future is undeniable,the same goes for raising questions about nuclear projects and demanding sufficiently adequate answers. In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan,nuclear nations are undertaking reviews of their reactors. India had immediately announced the same,the aim being not just taking stock of things as they stand but also upgrading safety standards and preparing to deal with multiple and even simultaneous incidents. In this context,this is the perfect time to separate the AERB from the Atomic Energy Commission AEC,to which the regulator has been reporting all this while. It has been argued earlier in these columns that the AERB currently the only body in India capable of assessing the radiological impact of any nuclear activity needed to be freed from any deference to the nuclear establishment. The nuclear industry is too complex and demanding to house its establishment and regulator together. An independent and autonomous body,as the proposed Nuclear Regulatory Authority of India is supposed to be,should not only tighten the checks on projects but also convey the right message to both the nation as well as Indias nuclear partners.
