Tighter rules for transporting n-material after October accident in Andhra Pradesh

A report on the accident which took place on October 24,2011 on NH 16 near Narasannapet in Srikakulam district,was recently submitted to the DAE by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board AERB.

No one was hurt in the accident,details of which have now been made available for the first time. There was no spillage of nuclear material or release of radiation,AERB has reported.

The October 24 accident involved a container trailer truck carrying uranium peroxide from the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd facility in Jaduguda,Jharkhand,to the Nuclear Fuel Complex in Hyderabad,where final fuel assemblies are manufactured.

At around 7.45 am,the CISF escort vehicle leading the container trailer was forced to swerve sharply to a side of the highway after a loaded truck TN 54 Z 3148 in front of it suddenly stopped alongside another truck AP 30 W 3839 parked by the road.

The CISF vehicle narrowly escaped hitting anything,but the driver of the container trailer,despite braking hard and slowing down,couldnt prevent his vehicle from ramming the rear of the truck with the Tamil Nadu number.

While nobody was at fault in the accident that took place,it has made those involved in the logistics of transporting sensitive material more cautious, said an official close to the development.