DU has violated radioactive waste rules: Centre

New Delhi, May 7 (ANI): The Union Government on Friday said that Delhi University had violated rules by selling scrap containing radioactive material.

Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan assured members that those responsible for the violation would not be spared.

"Mistake was made by the University in not adhering to rules and its own undertaking to atomic energy authorities that the device, which was used by its Chemistry Department, would not be re-sold," Chavan said.

He said the DU authorities did not follow rules and asserted that responsibility will be fixed.

"No guilty person will be spared, I assure you," Chavan said.

He asserted that all the 19 nuclear plants generating electricity in the country were completely safe and mechanisms would be strengthened in the field of atomic research and medical use as "some lessons have been learnt" from the accident in which one person died.

Chavan informed the House that the Delhi Police had upgraded the FIR in the case after one person died.

The Delhi Police is investigation at "criminal negligence" part in the radiation caused by Cobalt-60.

Chavan argued the need to put in place a law on fixing compensation in the case of accidents involving radioactive leakages as there was a "void".

Asserting that the radiation incident "has nothing to do" with any of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) facilities or activities, he said the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) had a complete inventory of all radioactive sources in the country.

There were 10,000 sources with about 3,000 institutions and licenses were given to users which were "very responsible," Chavan said.

He said the incident was caused by "unauthorised disposal" of the Gamma Cell by Delhi University as scrap in violation of the Atomic Energy Safe Disposal of Radioactive Waste Rules and the Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules. (ANI)