DAE sets up experts group for talks

The group includes Dr A M Muthunayakam,former secretary in the Department of Ocean Development,M R Iyer,formerly with IAEA radiation safety unit,S K Sharma,former head of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board,Harsh Gupta of National Geophysical Research Institute,C S Pramesh of Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai among others. It has experts on radiation safety,design,oncology,seismology,nuclear waste management,chemical safety and fisheries.

The group was constituted following the assurance by PM Manmohan Singh to Jayalalithaa that he would ask DAE to maintain “close liaison with local people,local authorities and the state government” on this issue. Jayalalithaa has aligned herself on the side of the agitators.

Site director M K Balaji told The Indian Express many contract workers,including those from other states,had been forced to leave the premises of the plant

A DAE official said even if protests were to end immediately,the schedule of the nuclear reactors had already been upset by the two-month agitation. He said the commissioning of the first reactor,expected in mid-December,would most certainly be delayed by at least three months,though an accurate assessment could not be made.