DU owns up,asked to explain

The committee will comprise former DU professor S C Pancholi (now at the Nuclear Science Centre),N C Gumar from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and B S Dwarkanath from the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

One person has died due to exposure to radioactive material at the Mayapuri scrap market,while at least three others are stated to be critical. The police had on Wednesday traced the origin of the radioactive Cobalt-60 found in the market to a laboratory in DU’s Chemistry department.

Addressing the media without Head of Chemistry Department V S Parmar by his side,Pental on Thursday said: “It was calculated that the contents of the equipment,bought in 1968,had outlived its radiation time since the half-life of Cobalt-60 is 5.27 years. But the source was much stronger than we had thought.”

He said a lot of unused material were lying around in the Chemistry department and the authorities felt they needed to be cleared.

Pental said he did not give the inquiry committee a deadline to submit its findings but added: “They are expected to submit its report fast.”

Pental’s term as the vice-chancellor runs out in September.

“The university takes moral responsibility for the incident,and we are looking at the possibility of the university community contributing towards compensation to the victims.”

But,he added,no amount of money can compensate for such a tragedy.

He clarified that the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has “not” sent a showcause notice. “They have merely asked for information — they are also sending people to investigate thoroughly.”

He also said the police have not approached him yet,and that the media and AERB were his only sources of information.

Meanwhile,a police team visited the Chemistry department today to investigate the origin of the Cobalt-60 source. Officers questioned several faculty members about the auctioning of Cobalt-60.

The police also took with them several documents from the department for investigations.

DCP (West) Sharad Aggarwal said the police have written to the AERB and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) seeking details of guidelines on disposing of radioactive wastes. “We have asked about safety measures to be adopted while handling such materials,” he said.

In a separate letter to the university,the police asked the authorities to explain how such a “hazardous” material ended up with scrap dealers. “They have to tell us about the procedure they adopted in auctioning this material,” DCP Aggarwal said.

HRD ministry: How did radioactive matter land in scrap?
The Human Resource Development ministry has sought information from Delhi University on how the radioactive substance landed in Mayapuri scrap market. The University Grants Commission (UGC),along with members of the scientific community,is also likely to examine the issue of radiation leaks and other hazards associated with laboratories at universities across the country. “It is a matter of concern and information has been sought from the Delhi University on this,” a government source said.

The UGC is likely to institute a committee of experts to look into various aspects related to laboratory processes. The HRD ministry is viewing the issue with seriousness since DU is a highly reputed varsity.