(a) whether the Government is considering to carry out a safety audit of all atomic power
plants in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government is also considering to conduct a survey in the areas around
atomic plants to understand the health and environmental implications; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME
MINISTER’S OFFICE (SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY) :
(a) &(b) All the nuclear power plants in India are under continuous regulatory surveillance by Atomic Energy
Regulatory Board (AERB). Periodic safety audit of all atomic power plants in India is carried out by the AERB.
All nuclear power projects undergo an elaborate in-depth safety review during the consenting stages, viz. siting,
construction, commissioning, etc. After satisfactory review during project stage, AERB issues operating licence
to a nuclear power plant for period of upto five years. During the licence period, nuclear power plants are under
regulatory surveillance and their safety performance is monitored in compliance with prescribed guidelines.
A
minimum of two regulatory inspections of each nuclear power plant is also carried out in a year to verify
compliance with various safety requirements. A consolidated safety assessment of the plant is undertaken
while renewing the operating licence.
In addition to the prescribed safety review assessments, comprehensive safety audits of all Indian nuclear
power plants against external events were undertaken by AERB and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India
Ltd. following the Fukushima accident.
(c)&(d) The environmental matrices like air, water, soil, vegetation, crops, milk, fish, etc. around each of the
nuclear power plant site are regularly monitored by an independent Environmental Survey Laboratory (ESL) set
up at each of the site prior to operation of the plant. The samples for analysis are selected on the basis of potential
pathways of exposure and an area upto a distance of 30 km is covered. The data collected has not indicated any
measurable change in radiation levels in the environment and radioactivity in the environmental matrices
compared to the base line data.
Epidemiological survey for health assessment in respect of employees and their families staying in the nearby
township and villages of each of the nuclear power plant have been carried out by reputed local medical colleges
and analysis has been carried out by Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Mumbai. In addition, annual medical
check-ups are carried out for all workers regularly. The examinations/studies have found that the morbidity
pattern of all ailments is lower than the national average of the corresponding ailments. There has also not
been any rise in cancer morbidity compared to national average.