A day after promising more safeguards at the upcoming Jaitapur nuclear power plant, Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh clarified that his ministry is not the one tasked with improving safety at the plant.
The statement came after it was widely reported that the environment ministry will impose stricter safety norms at the coastal nuclear power plant in Maharashtra.
“Issues relating to safety, radioactive management is the responsibility of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. Everything cannot be lumped as an environmental issue,” he said, clarifying the limits under which his ministry has to operate on the matter.
In what may come as a disappointment to many anti-Jaitapur activists, he also dismissed the idea that India can live without nuclear power plants. “India cannot pause or hit the rewind button,” he said.
Jairam, known for stopping many projects in their tracks, had rekindled hopes in the hearts of those protesting against the Jaitapur plant by seeming to echo their safety-related concerns on Tuesday.
He also said that since the safety aspects had to be taken care of by the department of atomic energy due to the highly technical nature of implementing the safeguards.
