Following reports in the media on Monday, officials of the Kakrapar atomic power station (KAPS) confirmed on Monday that four contract workers were exposed to nuclear radiation in the plant on May 30, 2011 due to human error of the control room staff. However, they said that the radiation was of a very minor level and that it had no effect on the health of the workers.
KAPS is situated at 75 km from Surat and about 12 km from Vyara which is the main city of Tapi district. It produces 440 MW from two units of 220 MW each which went critical in 1993 and 1995. Two more units of 700 MW each are being built and the work will be completed by 2015.
“Yes, the incident happened due to human error but the workers were not affected as the dose and quantity was very small,” said P K Dutta, station director of KAPS. “All four were examined in our hospital to check for any radiation affect on their bodies. But, it was found that the radiation they were exposed to was only up to 90,000 million rays or 90 mSv (milli Sieverts). They were sent home as they within our radiation limits,” he added.
Surat air connectivity issue has hit yet another political rough weather.
While the BJP blames Congress for not showing interest in solving the air connectivity issue for the diamond city, Congress leaders have alleged that BJP is creating a drama over the issue. Union minister Tushar Chaudhary and BJP MP CR Patil are up against each other on the matter.
To provide better air connectivity to Surat, BJP held a successful ‘plane roko andolan’ on Thursday. Apart from diamond and textile sectors, the event garnered support from over 250 organisations in the city. However, the Union minister for highways and transport termed the entire thing as political gimmickry.
“BJP is just showing people dreams and nothing else. How can BJP promise air-connectivity, when it does not have any plans for it? Air-connectivity is impossible till airline companies give any assurance to civil aviation ministry,” said Chaudhary. He blamed Patil, BJP MP from Navsari, for the entire mess and said that he has forgotten the dignity of a member of parliament.
In reply to Chaudhry’s words, BJP launched a counter-attack on Congress, blaming it for poor situation at Surat airport. BJP asked Chaudhry to work for increasing air-traffic at the airport rather than addressing press conferences. Party leaders also claimed that getting air-connectivity is difficult as Surat airport lacks basic facilities.
“There is no facility for night landing at Surat airport and the runway is not suitable for big planes. It is the Union government’s responsibility to provide air-connectivity but why isn’t it doing anything for Surat?” asked Patil at a press conference in the city. He further said that Chaudhary, being a Union minister in the concerned portfolio has failed to improve air-connectivity to Surat.
While it has achieved exceptional growth in many spheres, Surat is lagging behind in terms of gender equality. As per Surat Municipal Corporation records, the sex ratio shows a dismal trend in the city.
The gap is high in the child sex ratio i.e. 0-6 age group.As per birth registration figures provided by SMC, the city is far behind the national average. In 2010, 816 girls were born against 1000 boys – the national figure was 933. In 2009, the figure for Surat was 832.
Two areas of the city have shown an alarmingly low sex ratio. According to civic records, in Varachha the figure is 762, while in Katargam it is 712.
“Even though there is a ban on sex determination tests, there are scores of clinics in the city which perform these tests. The government department and agencies concerned are turning a blind eye to this. The figures are a cause for concern for a developed city like Surat,” said Natu Patel, a city-based social activist.
Patel is fighting for the cause of the girl child for years. He claimed that even state government schemes to prevent female foeticide are not yielding results.
Overall sex ratio in the state is also not promising – 898 – in 2010. Surat and Ahmedabad have lowest female births in the state. Gujarat is in line with Punjab and Haryana in this regard.
Surat district has a better record. The sex ratio was 877 in 2009. The figures for 2010 are yet to come, but there is reportedly a very marginal decline in the average.
“There is a provision in law for imprisonment up to 27 years and fine up to Rs95,000 for those performing sex determination tests, but seldom is any doctor punished,” said Rajesh Patel, a city-based lawyer.
The gem and jewellery industry hopes to rise from the ashes of 13/7 by organizing five-day-long India International Jewellery Show (IIJS), which opens in Mumbai from August 4. More than 800 leading jewellery and diamond companies, 30 per cent of which are from countries such as Israel, Italy, Greece and the US, will participate in the show.
The 28th edition of IIJS, one of the preeminent international gems and jewellery shows, is expected to attract 30,000 to 40,000 domestic and more than 4,000 international buyers. Last year, the IIJS had generated business worth Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500 crore, with about 40 per cent contributed by the foreign visitors.
The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has reassured overseas buyers of all possible protection. Said Sanjay Kothari, vice-chairman of GJEPC, “Keeping in mind the recent terrorist attacks on the diamond industry, we have left no stone unturned for the safety and security of the domestic and overseas visitors.”
According to him, the venue at NSE grounds at Goregaon will be like a fortress. The police, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and private security guards will man all the strategic installations inside and outside the venue. The entire event will be monitored through the state-of-the-art CCTV network. Every individual exhibition stall at the IIJS will have a CCTV camera and security persons.
Official sources said the diamond traders and leading jewellery companies from Israel, Belgium, US and Italy are not wavering from their commitments to furthering ties with their Indian counterparts following the terror strikes.
Kothari said, “We have received a tremendous from the foreign exhibitors, especially from Israel, who are keen to set up exhibition stalls at IIJS. We have completed most of the booking procedures and have set up a separate international products gallery for the domestic visitors.”
Recently, chairman of Israel Diamond Industry (IDI), Moti Ganz, had stated, “Israel and India have a great deal in common as both the countries are ancient civilizations and young democracies and both have to deal with the horror of terror. Israel is very much interested in the Indian market and this is the reason why we are setting up an office at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).”
The water level at Ukai dam is just 13 feet lower than the rule level and the reservoir is expected to be full to its capacity by the end of the monsoon. The authorities concerned expect the dam to be full up to 335 feet by the time the season ends.
The rule level is 333 feet and the water level on the first of August 1 was 320 feet. The water level in the dam will rise by another two feet as the present inflow of 33,516 cusecs into the reservoir is expected to continue for at least another 48 hours, official sources said.
“Surat city will not face any water crisis next year till June,” said an official of the water department of Surat Municipal Corporation. “In 2009-10 too, we had a similar situation and the dam was full up to just 325 feet at the end of the season. However, we did not face any water problem. If the dam is full only up to 325 feet level, it will be okay to meet the water requirement of the city,” he added.
However, a Ukai dam official said they are not opening any gates of the dam for hydropower generation as there is shortfall of water.
Meanwhile, many parts of south Gujarat recorded at least three inches of rainfall on Monday. Gandevi recorded 68mm, Chikhli 56mm, Vasda 46mm, Valod 51mm, Vyara 46mm, Songadh 33mm, Mahua 37mm, Palsana 22mm and Wagai 40mm of rainfall.
Surat city had a cloud cover for most part of the day but recorded just 2mm of rainfall during the past 24 hours.
Following reports in the media on Monday, officials of the Kakrapar atomic power station (KAPS) confirmed on Monday that four contract workers were exposed to nuclear radiation in the plant on May 30, 2011 due to human error of the control room staff. However, they said that the radiation was of a very minor level and that it had no effect on the health of the workers.
KAPS is situated at 75 km from Surat and about 12 km from Vyara which is the main city of Tapi district. It produces 440 MW from two units of 220 MW each which went critical in 1993 and 1995. Two more units of 700 MW each are being built and the work will be completed by 2015.
“Yes, the incident happened due to human error but the workers were not affected as the dose and quantity was very small,” said P K Dutta, station director of KAPS. “All four were examined in our hospital to check for any radiation affect on their bodies. But, it was found that the radiation they were exposed to was only up to 90,000 million rays or 90 mSv (milli Sieverts). They were sent home as they within our radiation limits,” he added.
“A radiation of 90 mSv does not cause any harm. If we get our whole body CT scanned, we would be exposed to a nuclear radiation of 60 mSv,” said Dutta.
The doses of radiation which are safe and as prescribed by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board say that dose due to natural background radiation should not be more than 2.40 mSv. The limit for contract worker getting exposed should be15mSv and for employee the limit is 20 mSv. A person may suffer from nausea and vomiting if the he exposed to 2000 mSv or and in extreme cases suffer from acute radiation syndrome where in exposed to 5000 mSv.
The four daily-wage labourers were exposed to radiation when they were cleaning and painting a tunnel called the Spent Fuel Transfer Duct (SFTD). The control room released a pair of spent fuel bundles in the duct while the labourers were in it. According to Dutta, “The workers came out when realized that something was amiss as their thermo luminiscence detectors started glowing.”
Dutta said that a team of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board visited KAPS on June 1 to inquire about the accident and make an inspection. However, the matter became public knowledge only when the four workers petitioned the Tapi district collector last week, saying that they wanted permanent jobs as compensation for suffering nuclear radiation. The collector sought an explanation from KAPS.
A doctor from KAPS said that a human being exposed to high nuclear radiation develops red spots on the entire body almost immediately. The victim also suffers from nausea and vomiting at regular intervals and may even suffer from genetic problems. “However none of these signs is visible on any of the affected workers and they are all safe,” he said.
Dutta said all the four affected labourers worked in the nuclear plant for at least 20 days each in the months of June and July 2011, i.e. in the two months after the accident. “The two members of the staff responsible for the error have been put back into training and relieved of their duties of control room,” he said.
The affected workers hail from Kalavyara village and their names are Jaysingh Chaudhary, Bachu Chaudhary, Dinesh Chaudhary and Dilesh Chaudhary. According to the KAPS report, they suffered radiation effects of 90.72 MSD, 66.12 MSD, 58.70 MSD and 23.23 MSD, respectively.
Officials in the Tapi district collector’s office said, “The KAPS director has submitted the medical reports of all the four affected workers. The report is given by their in-house hospital doctor, G N Parmar.”
Tapi district collector RJ Patel said, “We had also sent our team to the village where the workers live and found them normal.”
Surat air connectivity issue has hit yet another political rough weather.
While the BJP blames Congress for not showing interest in solving the air connectivity issue for the diamond city, Congress leaders have alleged that BJP is creating a drama over the issue. Union minister Tushar Chaudhary and BJP MP CR Patil are up against each other on the matter.
To provide better air connectivity to Surat, BJP held a successful ‘plane roko andolan’ on Thursday. Apart from diamond and textile sectors, the event garnered support from over 250 organisations in the city. However, the Union minister for highways and transport termed the entire thing as political gimmickry.
“BJP is just showing people dreams and nothing else. How can BJP promise air-connectivity, when it does not have any plans for it? Air-connectivity is impossible till airline companies give any assurance to civil aviation ministry,” said Chaudhary. He blamed Patil, BJP MP from Navsari, for the entire mess and said that he has forgotten the dignity of a member of parliament.
In reply to Chaudhry’s words, BJP launched a counter-attack on Congress, blaming it for poor situation at Surat airport. BJP asked Chaudhry to work for increasing air-traffic at the airport rather than addressing press conferences. Party leaders also claimed that getting air-connectivity is difficult as Surat airport lacks basic facilities.
“There is no facility for night landing at Surat airport and the runway is not suitable for big planes. It is the Union government’s responsibility to provide air-connectivity but why isn’t it doing anything for Surat?” asked Patil at a press conference in the city. He further said that Chaudhary, being a Union minister in the concerned portfolio has failed to improve air-connectivity to Surat.
While it has achieved exceptional growth in many spheres, Surat is lagging behind in terms of gender equality. As per Surat Municipal Corporation records, the sex ratio shows a dismal trend in the city.
The gap is high in the child sex ratio i.e. 0-6 age group.As per birth registration figures provided by SMC, the city is far behind the national average. In 2010, 816 girls were born against 1000 boys – the national figure was 933. In 2009, the figure for Surat was 832.
Two areas of the city have shown an alarmingly low sex ratio. According to civic records, in Varachha the figure is 762, while in Katargam it is 712.
“Even though there is a ban on sex determination tests, there are scores of clinics in the city which perform these tests. The government department and agencies concerned are turning a blind eye to this. The figures are a cause for concern for a developed city like Surat,” said Natu Patel, a city-based social activist.
Patel is fighting for the cause of the girl child for years. He claimed that even state government schemes to prevent female foeticide are not yielding results.
Overall sex ratio in the state is also not promising – 898 – in 2010. Surat and Ahmedabad have lowest female births in the state. Gujarat is in line with Punjab and Haryana in this regard.
Surat district has a better record. The sex ratio was 877 in 2009. The figures for 2010 are yet to come, but there is reportedly a very marginal decline in the average.
“There is a provision in law for imprisonment up to 27 years and fine up to Rs95,000 for those performing sex determination tests, but seldom is any doctor punished,” said Rajesh Patel, a city-based lawyer.
Four photographers from Goa, who walked the Dandi March route to imbibe the spirit of Gandhism, were shocked at being offered alcohol at most of the villages where the Mahatma halted eight decades ago during the historic protest.
The group started its 387km walk from Sabarmati Ashram on July 6 to know Mahatma Gandhi and understand the concept of non-violence by documenting the Dandi March route. But by the time they ended their journey on Sunday, the group’s experience was completely opposite to what they had expected.
“We were offered liquor at most of the villages where Mahatma Gandhi stayed during the actual Dandi March in 1930. It was sad as we had come here to relive the most-important satyagrahas in the struggle for Indian independence,” said Chaitanya Guttikar, one of the four artists. He is a PhD in mathematics and a professor in Miami, presently working as a photo researcher in Goa. “Many paid lip service to prohibition even as people reeking of booze staggered by,” added Guttikar.
Five daily wage workers, who were hired to do some cleaning and colouring work at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station, about 75 km from the city, have alleged that they were exposed to radiation there on May 30, 2011. In a memorandum to the Tapi district collector, they have sought employment and proper treatment for radiation exposure at the station.
Tapi district collector RJ Patel has summoned Kakrapar Atomic Power Station director with details about the alleged effect of radiation on the daily wage workers, who were given the job on the second last day of May to colour and clean up SFTD tunnel. After permission from the control room of Kakrapar atomic power station, the workers were asked to complete their work between 9.30 am and 1 pm. The tunnel flow was shut for the cleaning job and at about 11.45 am it was activated following which the workers allegedly suffered radiation effect.
Patel told TOI, “As soon as I got the information, I asked the sub-divisional magistrate to inquire into the incident. However, no officials were available it being a holiday today. I have called JP Dutta, the station director of the power station, on Monday with all the details.”
Patel said the workers are from Kalavyara village in the district. “I have come to know that the power station authorities had got these workers treated at that time and they were declared out of danger. Kakrapar Atomic Power Station officials were not available for comment.
Surat sarees are famous all over India and are rapidly catching the fancy of the Western fashionistas as well.Surat is largest manufacturing ground ...
