Kaiga incident is not a nuclear leak: Prithviraj Chavan

New Delhi / Karwar, Nov 29 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Singh Chavan said here on Sunday that the Kaiga incident is not a nuclear leak and assured that all nuclear plants in India are safe.

Briefing the media here, Chavan said: "The Kaiga incident is an act by a disgruntled employee. He mixed a small unit of heavy water (D20), in a water cooler. And all those who drank water from that particular water cooler were tested a little high level of radiation effects."

He said, he had discussions with Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar and assured that "it is not an incident of nuclear leakage."

Chavan also said the government will take the incident very seriously and a high level inquiry will be initiated.

"Prima-facie, it looks like an employee did it just to grab media attention and register a protest against the management. But we will initiate a high level inquiry," Chavan said.

Commenting over the Kaiga plant facing repeated threats, Chavan said: "It was a purely an act by a person who is accessed to the plant, but we will investigate influence of other elements on the employees."

The Nuclear Power Corporation has initiated an internal inquiry into the incident. Senior scientists are conducting tests in and around the Kaiga township, to ascertain the effect of radiation.

Karwar District Police clarified that no report has been registered over the incident.

Karwar Superintendent of Police Raman Gupta said: "The Nuclear Power Corporation authorities have not requested the local police to involve in the investigations and no report was filed with the police.

"If they contact us, then we will initiate the investigation," he added.

"The local police are not capable of handling the issues like radiation, I think the scientists will investigate first," Gupta said.

District Commissioner Chhannappa Gowda informed that only one person was tested for high level of radioactive reactions and all the others were at normal level.

He also clarified that no one was hospitalised in the incident and were treated at out patient department in Mallapur Hospital. By Shreeraj Gudi (ANI)