Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, to-day [May 22, Bombay] said the “halt and go policy” in nuclear power generation, adopted by the Planning Commission in the Draft Fourth Plan, was “really suicidal” for the country. “When the whole world is going in for nuclear energy generation in a big way, we must not falter at this point,” he told a Press conference. He said India’s nuclear power generation by the middle of 1972 would be 1,000 mW when the Ranapratap Sagar and the Kalpakkam plants would go into commercial production. The Planning Commission had suggested in the Draft Fourth Plan that the development of further nuclear power programme should be considered after studying the economics of operation of the Tarapur, Ranapratap Sagar and Kalpakkam plants. Dr. Sarabhai said India should have an installed nuclear power capacity of 2.000 mW in five years and 3,000 mW in less than ten years.
