'N-deal will leave India at mercy of suppliers'

The Hindu - Indian Newspapers in English Language from eight editions.


'N-deal will leave India at mercy of suppliers'

Kolkata (PTI): A group of Indian scientists have come out against the Indo-US civil nuclear deal saying it will leave the country at the "mercy of uranium-rich countries and big corporate houses" for supply and consequently vulnerable to a rise in price of the radioactive metal.

"The deal will have no contribution as a solution to the energy crisis. It will only raise the cost of power and place India at the mercy of uranium-rich nations," Subhendu Mitra, general secretary of Forum of Scientists, Engineers and Technologists on Thursday said.

Mitra said the cost of power produced by a modern nuclear plant running on imported uranium is Rs 5.5 per unit as compared to the current rate of Rs 4 per unit offered by indigenous nuclear plants at present even as an unit of Indian thermal power comes at a cost of Rs 2.5.

"Once the costly nuclear plants find their way to the country, it will become compulsively dependent on foreign fuel as suppliers of the Uranium-238 isotope play havoc with its price ala the crude petroleum suppliers," he said.

Implementation of the deal and addition of 40,000 MW plants will only raise the percentage of nuclear power produced in the country to a meagre eight per cent, Mitra said, which is "practically no improvement at all."

The forum accused the UPA government of not taking into account scientists and technologists' opinions on the matter. "That scientists' voices were ignored strengthens the suspicion that it is really not in the interest of self-reliance in science and technology," Mitra said.