No one found guilty of radiation exposure will be spared: Minister

NEW DELHI - The government Friday said no person found guilty for the radiation exposure in the national capital that killed one person will be spared.

“The Delhi Police will take appropriate action against the guilty. No guilty person would be spared,” said Minister of State for Atomic Energy Prithviraj Chavan in the Lok Sabha.

The minister was replying to a call attention motion moved by Gurudas Das Gupta (Communist Party of India), Kaushalendra Kumar (Janata Dal-United), Sumitra Mahajan (Bharatiya Janata Party) and B. Mahtab (Biju Janata Dal).

He said all radioactive materials in the open have been recovered and Delhi Police is investigating the matter.

Das Gupta said the country does not have any law to treat the victims of radioactive accidents, and asked the government whether case of dereliction of duty by Delhi University officials, including the vice chancellor, would be taken up.

“Criminal law and prosecution must be initiated against the people who are responsible,” he said.

Earlier, in a statement, the minister said Delhi Police have traced the origin of the radioactive material recovered in Mayapuri to a Gamma cell from the chemistry department of the Delhi University.

“This incident was caused by the unauthorised disposal of the Gamma Cell by Delhi University as scrap in violation of the Atomic Energy (Safe Disposal of Radio Active Waste) Rules and Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules promulgated under the Atomic Energy Act,” the minister said.

He also said the Delhi University has been issued a show-cause notice by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) April 29 and asked to submit its explanation on the violations within two weeks.

“In the meantime, the AERB has directed Delhi University to immediately suspend all activities involving use of radiation sources,” he said.