A forensic probe of the fire that broke out at a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre lab in which two research students were burnt alive found no evidence of explosives or inflammable residue even as the exact cause was still wrapped in mystery ten days after the blaze.
"The fire broke out in the chemical lab on the third floor of the Modular lab at the BARC," director and AEC chairman Sreekumar Banerjee told PTI. The Fire Brigade and police are yet to ascertain the cause of the blaze, which broke out on Tuesday afternoon. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was doused within 45 minutes.
The failure of India's sole H-bomb is the latest in the Department of Atomic Energy and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre's long history of being economical with the truth.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei on Tuesday inaugurated Bhabhatron-II, an indigenously developed advanced computerised telecobalt machine for the treatment of cancer. ElBaradei, who is on a three-day trip to India, visited the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai where he inaugurated Bhabhatron-II at the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer here.
BARC uses sea water for its two research reactors--Dhruva and Cirus--for cooling purposes. "We have asked BARC not to use sea water for any of their facilities as it is polluted with oil spill from vessels after a collision on Saturday," a senior Coast Guard official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Any future arrangement would be implemented keeping in view the national interest, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Director S Banerjee has said.
This will make Apsara off-limits to the IAEA, once the Indo-US N-deal kicks in.
The much-awaited Advanced Heavy Water Reactor may be the first reactor to come up in populated areas like the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
BARC worked for nearly three years to find the source, origin, route and recharge zone of the spring.
The fire at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre was not a mere accident and could be 'some one's' way of checking the preparedness of the nuclear centre in the backdrop of intelligence reports of a possible terror attack, said former director of the centre A N Prasad.
Umang Singh, who was burnt alive along with another young research scientist in the blaze at the country's premier atomic research laboratory BARC, was not second time lucky.
Apsara has played a key role in research in areas as diverse as forensic science and the study of lunar and meteorite fragments.
India must explore uranium aggresively: Atomic energy chief
Ramanna, who died early on Friday, had led a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre team to conduct the country's first nucear test at Pokhran, Rajasthan, in 1974.
For future growth, India also required to enhance its growth in accelerator development and on hydrogen economy and all these need development of science of cryogenics, he said.
The mistake the enemies of the deal in India and the US are making is to seek satisfaction over their own wish list.
"India, with long-standing experience in operating nuclear plants and building human and knowledge resources, can be a guiding force for new entrants seeking to harness atomic technology for producing power."
The thorium reactor does not require natural or enriched uranium which the country is finding difficult to import.
While the government response remains cautious but unmistakably positive, the critics' earlier opposition to the deal remains unchanged.
A top radiation biologist claimed that the peerless power of Trifala -- a combination of three herbs, Amalaki, Haritaki and Bibhitaki -- held the promise of protecting the body from the attack of dreadful diseases.
The registration number of the car used by Riaz has turned out to be fake one, the ATS chief said adding other information like where did the ammunition cache arrive from will be disclosed later.
'Citizens for a Just Society' stated that BARC was situated on the earthquake zone. In case of any disaster, NWDE would emit nuclear radiations into the environment, which would have harmful effect on the population.
'Why should we disclose classified information to satisfy those who doubt our Hydrogen Bomb capability?'
Inside BARC also, CISF has been deployed from June 1 to assist in the internal security as they are well trained in combating terrorist attacks.
President A P J Abdul Kalam on Monday said people must unite to root out cross-border terrorism, which was a hurdle for economic prosperity and development of the country.
Usually BARC buses bring the employees to the main gate and all the employees get down and walk through metal detector in addition to getting verified electronically their I-cards by the BARC securities.
Dismissing DAE's reply that most of the items were working satisfactorily, CAG said the department should have analysed all the aspects before ordering for the equipment.
BARC suspends 3 in radiation exposure case
The 'Anupam' supercomputer is also about three times faster than the 64-node supercomputer developed in July 2002 by the organisation.
Abhas Mitra of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre was perhaps the first and the only scientist to have questioned Hawking's concept of black holes.
'His emphasis on self-reliance is essentially due to the fact he wanted India to be a nuclear weapons country.' Dr P K Iyengar remembers the father of India's nuclear programme.
The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad has seized over 7 kg of natural uranium worth about Rs 21.30 crore and arrested two persons in this connection, an official said on Thursday.
Veteran atomic scientist and former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Dr Sekhar Basu succumbed to Covid-19 early on Thursday at a private hospital in Koklata, a health department official said. He breathed his last just three days after turning 68.
A group of men were spotted moving suspiciously near a naval base at Uran in Raigad district.
Rediff reader Eakanath Bandu Lote, 40 from Mumbai tells us how much his life has changed since his first salary.
I suggest we build a Vigyan Mandir (Temple of Science) with the ambience of a place of worship, so that it becomes a destination for pilgrims. We should embed on its walls bronze plaques describing each scientist mentioned here along with about a dozen of our ancient mathematicians, recommends Professor Kalyan Singhal, historian of science and technology.
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