Government declares Delhi radiation-free

New Delhi, Apr 20: Weeks after radiation leaks caused several people to fall sick in the national capital besides creating a scare across the country, the government on Tuesday, Apr 20 declared the west-Delhi region radiation-free.

Responding to Calling Attention motion on the radiation incident, Minister of State in PMO Prithviraj Chavan informed the Rajya Sabha that the nuclear experts are carrying out investigations on the sources of the radition.

“The radiation sources recovered are being examined at Narora (Atomic Power Station) to determine their origins," said Chavan.

The source of the radiation leak has been identified as Cobalt-60, which a radioactive derivative of cobalt and is used for radiography and in tele-therapy for cancer treatment.

“All the sources were safely transported in shielded flasks to Narora. The radiation sources recovered are being examined at Narora to determine their origins," he added.

He also told the house that before the radiation-affected region was declared safe, the Mayapuri industrial area consisting of around 800 shops was scanned by four joint teams of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

“The entire area has been certified to be free of elevated radiation fields," he declared.

OneIndia News