Weeks after India signed the agreement for building units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, New Delhi, at a meeting in Colombo, sought to allay fears in Sri Lanka over the safety of the project.
The safety of the plant, among other issues, came up for discussion at the meeting on comprehensive civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries held in Colombo on Monday and Tuesday, it is reliably learnt.
According to government sources in New Delhi, the two countries discussed possible collaboration in the field of nuclear medicine. Sri Lanka reportedly also sought training in the field, covering certain specialisations.
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Indian High Commission officials in Colombo said Amandeep Singh Gill, Joint Secretary (Disarmament), Ministry of External Affairs, led the Indian delegation at the second round of talks, held as a follow-up to the initial round of discussions held in New Delhi in 2012.
While there has been an ongoing dialogue between the two countries on possible civil nuclear cooperation over the years, it was sidetracked by other issues dominating bilateral relations. All the same, following the Fukushima disaster, Sri Lanka raised concern at how safe the > Kudankulam nuclear plants in Tamil Nadu are.
Government sources ruled out any possibility of India selling nuclear reactors to its neighbour. There was no specific request from the Sri Lankan side either, it is learnt.
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They also said an agreement did not look likely in the near future.