N-gurus Speak up
Three eminent nuclear scientists of the country have raised serious questions over the need to sign the much-debated civilian nuclear agreement with the US. They are Dr PK Iyengar, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Dr A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, and Dr AN Prasad, former director of the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre. In a press release, the scientists have questioned the argument that the deal will ensure energy security for the country and gone to the extent of saying that the independence of India’s foreign policy will be jeopardized by the stipulations of the Hyde Act. They are ‘‘of the opinion that the government should not proceed to seek IAEA Board approval for the current draft safeguards agreement until its implications are debated fully within the country or at least within the UPA-Left Committee as well as with a group of experts who are not party to the IAEA negotiations’’. The three scientists have cautioned the government against ‘‘the mythical extra energy security’’ that the deal will supposedly bring. Given the concern of the country’s three top nuclear scientists, it is imperative that the government sit for a thorough discussion with country’s nuclear scientific community as well as energy experts and make the whole process transparent. The people must know the benefits that would really come in after the deal is finalized, and at what cost. It will not do for the Congress to publicize the deal just because it has to keep its commitments and save its face. Let the debate be more meaningful. source: sentinel assam
