Kaiga nuke leak, a malevolent act: Kakodkar

Mallapur, Nov 29: Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar on Sunday, Nov 29, said the leakage at the Kaiga nuclear plant here, which left 55 persons sick with radioactive poisoning, appears to have been a malevolent act of a disgruntled employee.

Kakodkar said the reactor was now functioning normally and there was no leakage anywhere. He said someone had put a chemical-tritium-into a water cooler, and preliminary investigations pointed to it being a malevolent act.

Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan endorsed Kakodar's assessment, saying the matter is being looked into by an inquiry committee, adding that prima facie it appeared to be the handiwork of a disgruntled employee.

The sick employees are being treated for increased level of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen in their bodies, after they drank water from a water cooler in the operations area on Tuesday, Nov 24.

A urine examination of the employees, which is done everyday, it was found that the tritium level was more than the normal level. The employees are receiving treatment at the plant hospital in Mallapur.

Nuclear experts have not ruled out the possibility of sabotage behind this leak.

ANI