Technical group to study plan to set up nuclear reactor

Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar has directed Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to constitute a technical study group to examine the feasibility of setting up 18 nuclear reactors in Meghalaya. Speaking to The Indian Express on the sidelines of a seminar on “Nuclear Science and its Application in Various Field” Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) Executive Director A C Kundu said the possibility of installing nuclear reactors in Meghalaya can be settled only after a report is submitted by the technical study group.

In Nongbah-Jynrin in West Khasi Hills district, the Department of Atomic Energy has found 16,000 tonnes of uranium deposit. However, the UCIL can’t go ahead with the mining, as some political parties and NGOs are opposing the mining saying that it would be hazardous for both public health and environment.