'No radioactive leakage incidents at airports' cargo sections'

Government today said there has been no incident of radioactive leakage at cargo sections of airports in the country in the last more than three years.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said there has not been any incident of radioactive leakage at the cargo sections of airports in the country including Delhi airport during the last three years and in the current year till November 15.
"However, in the recent past, two cases of suspected radioactive leakage were reported at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi, one incident on May 29, 2015 and the other one on October 9, 2016.

"Upon inspection, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) declared in both the cases of incidents that there was no radioactive leakage," he said.
To a query on the action taken by the government to ensure safe handling of hazardous materials at airports, Sinha said a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been prepared by the Department of Atomic Energy for trigger mechanism and response for recovery/retrieval and disposal of the radiation source.
In a separate written reply, the minister said an Air India pilot, on January 29 this year, reported sighting of three objects appearing to be parachutes while on its way from Mumbai to Chennai.

The matter was reported to Indian Air Force and local authorities, he added.