HC seeks info on disaster mitigation measures around MAPs

The Madras High Court today directed the National Disaster Management Authority, New Delhi, to answer the queries raised in a PIL with regard to disaster mitigation measures around the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam about 70 Kms from Chennai City.
The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T.S.Sivagnanam, before which the PIL filed by one Advocate Vetri Selvan in its order directed NDMA or the Secretary/Commissioner Revenue Administration of the state government for Disaster Management and Mitigation to answer the quarries within six weeks.
The PIL seeks a direction to the central government and the state government to establish Research and Treatment Centre neat MAPS with sufficient number of beds to take care of any type of nuclear emergency/disaster, as required in NDMA Guidelines.

It is alleged by the petitioner that as per the guidelines of NDMA a Quick Reaction Medical Teams(QRMT's), Medical First Responder (MFR's) for pre-hospital Care were not complied with by the authorities of the central and the state governments.
The petitioner further alleged that as per the guidelines there is a requirement of designated hospitals for radiation injuries treatment centres (RITCs) to manage nuclear/radiological emergencies but these were also not provided in and around the villages of Kalpakkam Atomic Energy Station.
The petitioner further alleged that as per the guidelines no RITCs with the facilities of Burn Ward, blood Bank, BMT and stem cell harvesting facilities etc were made available in and around the villages of Kalpakkam.

When the matter came up before the First Bench, Advocate K. Radhakrishnan, who appeared on behalf of the petitioner, submitted that there is a requirement of identified hospitals at the secondary (district) level, to be strengthened to develop specialized capacities such as decontamination centre, facility for safe disposal of contaminated wastes, detection, protection and de-corporation and managing patients exposed to radiation and primary trauma care but these were also not made available which is mandatory as per the guidelines of NMDA.

The Bench in its order said "the above aspects which need attention be verified whether the apprehension expressed in the aforesaid aspects has any basis or not, especially as the specified three-year period given for implementation of the aforesaid aspects has already expired.

Since these guidelines have been designated by NMDA, it would be appropriate that the answer to these queries are given either by them or the state administration for Disaster Management and Mitigation within a period of six weeks, the bench said.
The bench then posted the matter for compliance on September 1.