1. The news that radioactive material, which caused critical illness to many and even a death at Mayapuri, New Delhi, was auctioned by the Chemistry Department of Delhi University (The Hindu, April 28, 2010), is shocking. Doubly shocking was that the material, which was procured from Canada for conducting experiments, was lying abandoned for long before being sold as scrap. This was clearly an act of criminal negligence for which legal and administrative action must be taken against the university authorities. The Vice-Chancellor must assume moral responsibility for this serious lapse and proceed on leave till an independent probe can fix responsibility and punish the culprits - J.M.Manchanda, New Delhi.
2. The tracing of the source of the radiation scrap opens up several issues with respect to the sale and condemning of equipment using radioisotopes. Why were regulations not followed when such an equipment was condemned in 1985 but not returned to an appropriate agency for safe disposal? Does the government cell overseeing the sale and disposal of condemned machinery not have a protocol to monitor the use of such equipment?
The blunder by university and the government cell makes this an act of "culpable homicide not amounting to murder". Will the officials responsible ever be identified and punished? - S.Purushotham, Kochi.
Courtesy: Letters to the Editor, The Hindu, Chennai, April 30, 2010.
Grateful thanks to Mr.Manchanda, Mr.Purushotham and The Hindu, India's National Newspaper.
2. The tracing of the source of the radiation scrap opens up several issues with respect to the sale and condemning of equipment using radioisotopes. Why were regulations not followed when such an equipment was condemned in 1985 but not returned to an appropriate agency for safe disposal? Does the government cell overseeing the sale and disposal of condemned machinery not have a protocol to monitor the use of such equipment?
The blunder by university and the government cell makes this an act of "culpable homicide not amounting to murder". Will the officials responsible ever be identified and punished? - S.Purushotham, Kochi.
Courtesy: Letters to the Editor, The Hindu, Chennai, April 30, 2010.
Grateful thanks to Mr.Manchanda, Mr.Purushotham and The Hindu, India's National Newspaper.
