Skip to main content

Kaiga NPP expansion: Why's DAE dragging feet on Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority?

Counterview Desk
EAS Sarma, former Union Power Secretary, replies to the rejoinder by Dr KS Parthasarathy, former secretary, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), to his letter addressed to the secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India, where he had talked of "worldwide anxiety about the consequences of catastrophic nuclear accidents, either due to manual lapses or natural calamities":
***
Dear Dr Parthasarthy,
I am delighted to have come across an excellent article of yours in Counterview, “Rejoinder: Worldwide anxiety post-Fukishima is fading, slowly and steadily”.
Rarely do I find responsible officials and those concerned with nuclear power development responding to letters from ordinary persons like me, who form part of the civil society.
By the by, you too, having retired from DAE/ AERB, have since become a valuable part of the civil society! The fact that you have read my letter on Kaiga and rebutted it point-wise gives me hope that there will be an informed debate in the coming years on nuclear power in our country.
In this connection, I wish to quote what the famous French writer, Voltaire said long ago, “I dispprove what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". After all, science, especially, physics, would not have progressed but for the process of dissent and debate that it is still going through.
Specifically in the case of nuclear power, we should take note of the fact that the data on the number of reactor-hours till date is far too small for anyone familiar with stochastic estimation methodology to be able to say with a reasonable degree of confidence that the probability of a major accident at a nuclear power plant is far too negligible to be ignored altogether.
Even if it is negligible, the consequences of an accident being significantly large, the compound probability of the consequence of the occurrence of a calamity should still cause distress to anyone conscious of the value of human life.
Similarly, the effects of even low-dose radioactivity can be of concern. The so-called "threshold" safety levels will critically depend on how one values human health and life. The threshold will be high, if human life is valued low and vice versa.
I still remember how a suspected spill from a needle-point deposit of a radioactive isotope on which we were working in the Nuclear Spectroscopy division of TIFR in the sixties caused a great deal of fear and our colleagues in the TIFR "Hot Lab" came with Geiger Counters to assess the magnitude of the exposure. One of my fellow scientists had to be quarantined and cleansed for a couple of days to minimise the adverse impact! What applied then to the scientists should equally apply today to the people around Kaiga.
Nuclear risk assessments underwent paradigm changes when major accidents took place from time to time.
For example, when US NRC commissioned a risk assessment study on reactor safety under the chairmanship of Neil Rasmussen in 1975, those in the nuclear establishment criticised the report on the ground that it overestimated the risk probability. Their criticism paled into oblivion when Three Mile Island accident in 1979 shook the confidence of the establishment. Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011 have overshadowed the reliability studies of the past.
Since you have cited Para 184 ( Civil Appeal No 4440/2013), let me cite Para 89 of Madras High Court's judgement of August 2012 in W.P.No.24770 of 2011, which reads as follows:
“Even though it is stated that the said exercise [mock drill referred in the judgement] was done in only one village, namely Nakkaneri village, which is stated to be nearer to the KKNPP, as we are informed that nearly 30 to 40 villages are within 30 Kms radius of KKNPP, such event must take place in all villages and more importantly, apart from the officials, as stated above, the people in the area must be made to participate and an awareness programme must be made to infuse confidence in the minds of the local people that the project is for the benefit of the country and there is no need to alarm”.
Till date, DAE has not cared to comply with this direction nor AERB has cared to secure compliance of it! Why is DAE shy of holding such mock drills, which are routinely conducted in USA and Canada? US NRC insists on periodically conducting such mock drills, as they test the coordinated disaster preparedness of the Central and State agencies.
They put to test the availability of adequate quantities of iodine pills at convenient locations to the logistics of evacuation of the affected people to safe locations. Apparently, both DAE and AERB are living in a make-shift world of imagined safety. If an accident were to occur, their lack of preparedness would surely get exposed.
Let me invite your attention to a well established principle of jurisprudence known as the Precautionary Principle, which, in matters pertaining to the environment and human health, places the burden of proof of safety of an industrial technology on the proponents of that industry. When I addressed my concerns on Kaiga to DAE and AERB, the onus rests on those agencies to come forward and place their case before the people in proof of near 100% safety.
I am somewhat surprised at your argument that AERB is an "independent" regulatory authority. I do not have to remind you of the cliche, "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion". What matters is the public perception of a regulator's independence. As long as AERB remains sub-ordinate to DAE, it cannot be deemed to be "independent", however competent and objective its personnel may be.
Why is DAE dragging its feet on going ahead with processing the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA) Bill? The very fact that there is hesitation on the part of DAE raises a serious concern about ARRB's autonomy. In my view, not enacting that law amounts to utmost negligence on the part of the government.
Coming specifically to the EIA study on Kaiga expansion project, don't you agree with me when I say that the study has failed to capture the essential concerns that ought to have been addressed by any consultants worth the remuneration they are paid?
A public consultation process cannot be treated as a ritualistic exercise to get clearances. The people of this country are the primary stakeholders in such large projects and their concerns are far too important to be ignored.
Technologies must subserve the public interest, not the other way. It will be a mistake for anybody to trivialise the public concerns.
May I once again thank you for taking time to rebut what I have said in the case of Kaiga expansion, because it has also prompted me to bring my own concerns in greater detail as expressed above?
I am marking copies of this letter to the Prime Minister (he is in charge of DAE), Chairman, AEC, AERB and others for information and for generating a rational discussion on the subject.

Comments

TRENDING

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra  Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas*  Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan  Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.

Sandra Gonzalez Sanabria: An inspiring life from Colombia’s Amazonian valley

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  In the village of Héctor Ramírez, known as Agua Bonita, in La Montañita, Caquetá, Colombia, a vision of peace and renewal is unfolding. In the pre-2016 period, this would have been nearly impossible for outsiders to visit, as it was the epicenter of violent resistance against state oppression. However, after the Peace Accord was signed between the Colombian government and former revolutionaries—marking the end of a 70-year insurgency that claimed over 400,000 lives until 2025, including civilians, rebel fighters, and security personnel—things began to change. Visiting Agua Bonita during the Global Land Forum in Bogotá revealed a village of hope and resilience. Former FARC revolutionaries have settled here and transformed the village into a center of peace and aspiration.

Overriding India's constitutional sovereignty? Citizens urge PM to reject WHO IHR amendments

By A Representative   A group of concerned Indian citizens, including medical professionals and activists, has sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reject proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) before the ratification deadline of July 19, 2025. 

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative   At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.

Activists allege abduction and torture by Delhi Police Special Cell in missing person probe

By A Representative   A press statement released today by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleges that several student and social activists have been abducted, illegally detained, and subjected to torture by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The CASR claims these actions are linked to an investigation into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, an editorial team member of 'Nazariya' magazine.

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman*   The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.