Nuclear power: Deal, discussion and debates

The article compares some of the debates in which scientists and journalists participated. Looking at the current scene, the author concludes that they may not get any support from any politician, defending the nuclear cause.

K.S.Parthasarathy




Nuclear power: Deal, discussion & debates
By Dr. K S Parthasarathy
When the die appears to be cast, skeptics may wonder, how the protagonists and antagonists of the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement carry on discussions for hours at a stretch and that too on several sessions over many days! A blessing in disguise is the wholehearted participation of the media, opinion makers, policy planners and parliamentarians in the discussion and the debates on a topic such as nuclear power which interested only a handful of journalists over the past several decades!
Public learnt many facts. China which was far behind India is going ahead with an ambitious nuclear power programme. They do not mind breaking bread with nuclear vendors from any country so long as they get best deals from them. Their proletariat past does not inhibit them from securing nuclear technology from anyone.
India's hope for nuclear capacity addition in the near term will remain just a hope, without operationalising the civil nuclear agreement.
Indian nuclear power reactors are working at low capacity factors as there is a "mismatch between nuclear fuel supply and demand" (NPC Annual report 2006-07, confirmed recently in Parliament). India's uranium ore is of very low grade. Its uranium resources have been updated to 1,07,268 tonnes of U308 (DAE Annual Report, 2007-08).
During 2006, the production figures (in tonnes) for uranium reported by the World Nuclear Association were: World, 39429; Canada, 9862; Australia, 7593; USA, 1672; China 750; India, 177; Pakistan, 45; France, 5;
Scientists learnt a few lessons. Politicians will remain neutral in any nuclear debate when public is a party. They expect scientists to satisfy the public and the anti nuclear activists, though nuclear programme is a national programme. Scientists cannot depend on political leaders' support for nuclear activities such as uranium mining. Politicians may not correct wrong notions of the public, even when they know the facts; they believe that such efforts may erode their vote banks.
Right from 1947, Nehru's vision and Bhabha's mission on atomic energy coincided. After due discussions with the bureaucracy, they set up a sound administrative mechanism to respond swiftly, effectively and decisively to the demands from this nascent field. Scientists could not have asked for more!
It is instructive to look at the past discussions and debates. When Dr Bhabha organised the first National Symposium on Atomic Energy during November 26 and 27, 1954, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister and his entire cabinet, scientists from other institutions, industrialists and some members of Parliament attended the meeting. Nehru himself presided over the entire conference except for a short period when Mr. KD.Malaviya, a senior cabinet minister took the chair. Times have changed!
The symposium was Nehru's response to remarks in Parliament by eminent physicist Dr.Meghnad Saha and others. Nuclear scientists in India largely remained out of public gaze for long. Other than attending a few press conferences, media also paid no attention. Even mild criticism could upset scientists; they were not used to it. Occasionally, a few scientists portrayed journalists who challenged official views as trouble makers!
Very few journalists knew the intricacies of the subject. Those who knew could not get access to scientists. Scientists were reluctant to communicate. Mixing with the media was considered a risky occupation!
Many young journalists realised that they could make good copies by mixing news with "radiation and radioactivity". Newspaper headlines such as "Tarapur set to explode", "A bomb ticking somewhere in Hyderabad", were hilarious.
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) was set up in November 1983. As per its mandate, AERB remains open with the public. The Members of the Board addressed a few press conferences, mostly, after the meetings of the Board. There were some controversies, but by and large press coverage was objective.
From August 9 to 11, 1986 Sampoorna Kranti Vidyalaya Vedchhi, an NGO dedicated to a non nuclear India, held a seminar on "Atoms in India" at Sasmira Hall, Worli, Bombay. Five officials from AERB and a few officials from Nuclear Power Board attended the seminar.
The NGO did not see any difference between nuclear power reactors and nuclear weapons. V R. Krishna Iyer (Former Judge of the Supreme Court) inaugurated the seminar.
We described the safety features of nuclear reactors, explained how high level radioactive wastes are "vitrified" dispelling the wrong notion that waste is stored in glass containers! we answered several questions from the audience. Probably, we could not convince everyone but the dialogue was satisfying.
Initiating a desirable shift in policy, Dr.M.R.Srinivasan, the then Chairman Atomic Energy Commission, opened the doors of AEC to its critics. Senior officers of DAE and AERB participated in many meetings.
On December 5, 1987, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Officer's Association (BARCOA) organized a panel discussion on "Issues in Nuclear Technology". Dr M.R.Srinivasan, Prof De, Chairman, AERB, Shri S.L. Kati, Managing Director, Nuclear Power Corporation and Shri M.H.P. Rao, former Director, Nuclear Power Board spoke.
The panelists included Amalendu Das Gupta (The Statesman), Praful Bidwai (The Times of India). Ivan Fera (The Illustrated Weekly), G.S.Bhargava (formerly of Indian Express) and Professor Direndra Sharma. For first time, antagonists and protagonists of nuclear technology shared the platform to discuss a wide range of topics.
The Government of Karnataka held a national workshop on nuclear power projects with special reference to Kaiga at Bangalore on December 10 and 11, 1988. Shri S.R. Bommai, Chief Minister of Karnataka inaugurated the workshop. Speakers included planners, economists, professors, anti nuclear activists and journalists.
Emotional outbursts and occasional melodrama sustained the audience' interest. Speakers who are used to sober discussions found it harder to cope with some amount of heckling! It was something like the massacre of the innocents. Dr. Srinivasan rose to the occasion. He marshaled facts and figures to articulate eloquently the international consensus on nuclear power.
While Shri Bommai was speaking, power failed prompting him to say that we cannot live without power. A picture in the Indian Express vividly portrayed the situation!
PTI Feature