‘Uranium mining is sensitive, takes time ‘

SHILLONG, MAY 26: Mining of uranium in Meghalaya is not likely to takes place in the near immediate future as union minister of state for Department of Atomic Energy (DEA)Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said the centre is not in a hurry but is cautious as projects related nuclear and atomic energy is sensitive.

Singh told newsmen said, “The centre is always cautious while moving ahead with projects related to nuclear energy and atomic energy as they carry lot of sensitive elements like security and also huge budget implication.”

Singh is in Shillong to highlight the achievements of the one-year old NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Singh statement also came as a reaction to the oppositions from several quarters on the proposed mining of Uranium in Meghalaya, which has huge deposit of uranium.

Speaking about the opposition in Meghalaya to uranium mining, Singh said, “The issue (opposition) has come up but the department of Atomic Energy is still studying it because this requires lots of planning and work before taking up such projects.”

Informing that the DAE is thinking of exploring new areas at the earliest, Singh informed that uranium concentration is  mostly on conventional areas such as South India. He, however, added, , “Amongst the new areas, not only Meghalaya but even Uttarakhand and some other areas, DAE is trying to see the possibility of this kind of things happening.”

However, Singh said such exercise takes time as they requires huge budget and also research. He informed this particular issue of getting nuclear energy is already on the DAE agenda the department is trying to study and work it out as there are also security concerns involved wherever they undertake such work.

According to Singh, the DAE is also trying to allay the fear of many of the states that there will be health hazards if such project is undertaken.  He said “They (states) also have some apprehension that if a project is launch there will be cancer all around which usually doesn’t happen.”

Saying that such apprehension is unfounded, Singh claimed that statistics which the department is having after conducting studies indicated that scientists and people working in such atomic centres are healthy and have not been affected by the uranium mining.

Singh informed that the kind of mechanism that is in place now there is no obvious health hazards while adding that so far reported no atomic scientist has so far been reported of suffering from any cancer.- By Our Reporter