Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserted on Wednesday that there would be no compromise on the safety of nuclear installations and officials had been instructed to ensure that such units had world-class safety facilities.
Dr. Singh, however, said: “ ... because there is a nuclear threat we must put a stop to the country's economic and social progress and technological development, and that we should not make use of new technologies and not exploit the potential that exists would be a counsel of despair. I don't believe that it does justice to our capabilities to meet the challenges that are on the horizon.”
Dr. Singh was replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on the safety of nuclear power stations vis-à-vis the accident in the Fukushima plant in Japan after it was hit by tsunami last year. He said concerns relating to the safety requirements of the nation's nuclear installations were paramount in the minds of the government and the Department of Atomic Energy.
After the Japan tragedy, he asked the atomic energy establishment to look at the safety features of each and every plant, both by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. “So, you have my assurance that we will not compromise in any way on nuclear safety.”
