India’s Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill Stirs Debate

The legislation proposes to establish a Council for Nuclear Safety under chairmanship of the Prime Minister and including several ministers to oversee and review national policies regarding radiation safety, nuclear safety and other related issues.

India’s Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) and French nuclear firm Areva support the legislation, but former Atomic Energy Regulatory Board chairman A. Golapalkrishnan has questioned the proposed arrangement of placing the council under the Prime Minister, The Business Standard reported.

NPC Chairman S. K. Jain noted, “The NPC welcomes this Bill. This will promote the use of nuclear power as it will lead to rest all those apprehensions or misgivings regarding the independence of the present regulators. NPC has been maintaining all through that our operations are transparent, they have been peer reviewed at the international level and have been getting subjected to rigorous regulations, including shut down of operating plants and also stoppage of construction work by regulators in the past. NPC would have been happier if a provision of an appellate authority was also included in the Bill along the lines of other regulators.”

India’s current nuclear regulator, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, which would be replaced by the proposed council, has also welcomed the proposed legislation.

By. Charles Kennedy, Deputy Editor OilPrice.com