Mumbai/New Delhi, April 29: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) on Thursday suspended the permission granted to Delhi University to use radioactive substances a day after the Delhi police said the Cobalt-60 recovered from a Mayapuri scrap market, which left one person dead and
six others ill, had come from a gamma cell sold to scrap dealers by DU in February. The AERB has also asked DU for a detailed report on the matter.
The AERB first issued a showcause notice to the university and, later in the evening of Thursday decided to suspend permission.
AERB chairman S.S. Bajaj said instruments for monitoring any radioactive substance in scrap material would be provided to scrap dealers and they would be trained to use it. The incident has been reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency under the Incident Reporting System (IRS) and Illicit Trafficking Data Base (ITDB) of the agency, he said.
In New Delhi, the DU vice-chancellor accepted “moral responsibility” in the matter and promised to compensate those affected by radiation and also Rajender Parshad’s family. Parshad had succumbed to radiation sickness on April 26. He also announced the setting up of a three-member panel to inquire into the issue of unsafe disposal of radioactive waste. The panel will be headed by Prof. S.C. Pancholi, a retired professor and nuclear scientist. The other two members are Dr N.C. Goomer and Dr Dwarkanath.
Admitting the “mistake”, Mr Pental said: “It was not realised that the source (the radioactive material) may be much stronger than what people of the department were thinking. There was a mistake in calculating the life of the radioactive material because they are not the people who bought the source.”
The gamma cell irradiator was imported by Prof. V.K. Sharma in 1968 from Canada with the permission of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. The machine had been lying in a room since 1985 and the chemistry department wanted to sell it to create more space.
Mr Pental said he has written to all departments in the university to take all precautions, adding the varsity will ask its employees to contribute towards compensation for the victims of the mishap.
The Delhi police, meanwhile, has written to Delhi University seeking a complete report on how the “hazardous waste” was disposed of to scrap dealers. Deputy commissioner of police (west) Sharad Agrawal told this newspaper that DU has been asked to give detailed information about its auctioning procedure.
DCP Agrawal said the police has asked the Department of Atomic Energy and the AERB to carry out a thorough inquiry to help the police fix responsibility. So far, the police has not taken action against anybody. The police has also asked AERB to tell them about all the safety measures required while handling such materials.
A case under Section 337 (act endangering public safety and life) of the IPC has been registered by the police. At least 11 sources of radiation were detected in the Mayapuri scrap market from where the Cobalt-60 was recovered early this month.
Age Correspondents
with agency inputs
