307 Nuclear d*tric« APRIL 17, 1978' planted ** « tt Nanda Devi (CM THE PRIMS MINISTER (SHRI with a view to installing it at a height MORARJI DESAI): Mr. Speaker. Sir, of 25,000 feet. Honourable Members are quite under­ When the expedition was approach* standably exercised over the reports ing the summit, it was overtaken by that have appeared in the Press here a blizzard which made further ascent based on a news-item which appeared impossible and facing fatal hazards to in the United States about the attempt the party, they were obliged to re­ to locate a nuclear-fuelled power- treat to the lower camp at a height pack on the heights of Nanda Devi. of 23,000 ft. In the precipitate discent The failure in this attempt which under very trying and exacting con­ has raised just apprehensions about ditions they had to leave the power- the possibility of contamination of pack securely cached. With the on­ the water of our sacred river Ganga. slaught of winter, no attempt to locate I can assure the House that all of and retrieve the device was imme­ us share this concern of the Honour­ diately possible and had to be post­ able Members as well as by the people poned. Another expedition was moun­ at large at the possible hazards to ted in May 1968 that is in the follow­ our environment and people. ing spring. With the intention of re­ SHRI JYOTIRMOY BOSU: What trieving and installing the device, are you doing about it? however the expedition party on ar­ rival at the area discovered that a SHRI MORARJI DESAI: Will you major avalanche had occurred around have some patience? The House is the area and the device could not be aware that aas soon as these located. Every attempt was made by reports came to our attention, ground and aerial search aided by we expressed our grave concern to supersensitive scientific equipment to the US authorities and have subse­ trace the power pack but these efforts quently been in touch with them in proved in vain. After all such at­ New Delhi and in Washington. We tempts the conclusion reached by our have also made thorough enquiries at experts which included Scientists was our end to obtain as complete details that if the power-pack had broken, it as possible in the last few days. In would have been detected trough the light of international situation pre­ these means and the likelihood wa9 vailing at that time and scientfic deve­ that the device got buried deep some­ lopments which were taking place both where after having been smothered far and near it was decided by or carried into neighbouring crevice the Government of India and by the avalanche. the Government of United States of Searches both on the ground and America at the highest level that a remote sensing device with nuclear by helicopters were organised every power-pack should be installed near year over a wide area and continued till late 1968 but without the equip­ the highest point of Nanda Devi with the object of securing information ment being sighted or detected by scientific means. about missile developments. SHRI SHYAMNANDAN MISHRA: Simultaneously samples of the Which year? water were taken up to 1970 and SHRI MORARJi DESAI; it started were under observation for some in 1964. years but no trace of contamination was detected. SHRI MORARJi DESAI; It started In 1967, a new device was taken to SHRI MORARJI DESAI: According­ the same area and was duly installed ly, a mountaineering expedition man­ on a neighbouring peak. This func­ ned only by Indian mountaineers tioned normally for a while but was went up the Nanda Devi followed by removed subsequently in 1968 and a Joint Indo-American expedition sci­ the equipment was returned to the entifically equipped with the device United States. These operations as 309 N*cUar device CHAITRA 27, 1900 (SAKA) planted in the 319 Ncmda Dei* (CA) I said, were apparently carried out of 5,000 gallons per day would ft*elf predominantly by Indian personnel dilute the dissolved material to safe but under joint auspices and were in drinking water levels. It is also be­ the know of and with the approval lieved by Scientists that the dangers at the highest political level of the of pollution on instanteneous exposure Government of India at that time. to air are also minimal. In brief they claim that the design details and pro­ After the news reports appeared a tective systems are such as to ensure few days ago we have assembled re­ the maximum possible safety againt levant details and background o f these splintering and consequential conta­ expeditions with reference to avail­ mination and environmental hazards. able record and in consultation with both the US Government and the In­ Notwithstanding the safety factor dian Departments who were involved in the design and the results of phy­ in this project. sical search and scientific detection now that our Government’s attention has been drawn to it, we are making We have tried to got as much tech­ renewed efforts to make ourselves nical information about the device as triply sure. It is proposed to appoint was possible. According to informa­ a committee of scientists to study tion obtained and pubbshed literature and assess the problem and with the on the subject, the device comprises help of all possible expert advice, to of a power system energised by 2 to recommend such further action as may 3 lbs. of plutonium-238 metal alloy be considered necessary to safeguard which is contained in several doubly against future hazards to the environ­ encapsulated leaktight capsules. The ment and to the people. We have inner capsules enclosing the plutonium taken immediate action to obtain are made of 20 mm thick tantalum— fresh samples of the water from the refractory metal. The primary func­ upper reaches. tion of tantalum is to inhibit corrosive action of the Plutonium fuel. The As I mentioned we have been in outer capsules are of Nickel alloy touch with the American Government. having high strength and temperature The US authorities had provided tech­ resistant properties. The capsules are nical details, scientific cooperation encased in a Graphite heat block and sophisticated equipment at the which along with the thermo-electri­ time when the search operations for cal modules in turn is encased in a the missing power-pack were being cylindrical aluminium casing which made in the summer of 1966. is 14 inches in diameter and 13 in­ ches high. The total weight of the Mr. Speaker, I can recall the criti­ entire assembly was 38 lbs. cal situation with which we were faced during those days of concern, According to the records it is clear apprehension and anxiety. The autho­ that at that time all aspects of safety, rities concerned in India at the high­ including the possible hazards to the est level assessed the situation in operating hands and general public, terms of certain precautionary and were taken into account and conclu­ effective devices to identify the vari­ sion was reached that no undue ha­ ous threats and contingencies and de­ zard existed. The tests, which have cided upon the measures which I have been carried out by the United out-lined above. It is clear from States, indicate that even under ex­ the records that as far as human tremely unlikely conditions of com­ agencies could provide against hazards plete instantaneous fuel exposure to they were taken into account. It is water, there is little, if any, possibi­ unfortunate that nature intervened to lity of pollution attaining unsafe present for the future as we now find limits. We understand that even in it a continuing source of apprehen­ such an unlikely eventuality, a flow sion and anxiety. 311 Nuclear device APRIL 17* 1978 planted in the « » Wanda Ita * (CA) fShri Morarji Desai] wttfarr ift fcjfar However, as far as I see no cause qpr w * m m & i | tftr ®nr w aft* for alarm on grounds of health or environmental hazards exists. The w w v vnwOT twr indirect evidence so far is that the ** vt w w rfl «msr x v m ^ t safety precautions built into the pack «ft *rr ^ ? may be as effective as has been claimed mt and if so pollution effects may not take place in the future. It is gratify­ <wt w (W l %^rtw ^ranc ing that none have been detected so •tft *t VRcfhr sRTwrfsrv ?t?aff far. I would also like to assure the House that to our knowledge, no other ?r*rr # wwf «tt «ft ffnr «rr ? device of this kind exists Ob Indian soil and no such operations which *RT 1967 WWW VT carry potential national hazards would be permitted by us. fsiftns? faow «rr f«p «nr€h»t *ftr ^ft Htn*rwi <rt 18 hr*. *^t vrtvv *ffr nfev ?ft <***$: snarer ^n% «rr t a ^ t r t r 1 1 ffrg WW 3R*TT fapT <Tf*RT w ^ ?rw rr % ^rnr% «jwi«i FTRf 7T t”pfsnr ffeft I, *PTT it* ftwrr «rr ft* ^hrssft vt ?fto vr ?nNuf?T f t ^r| «rrfo (To ?r «nf«nF ^nrerT f r r ^ ?rreft vr *jfnrr $t, qfa qfara1 $rfoff vrsnrnr wsrTRrt ^r»TT<Trw^t ?r»rr v ^w i-C Ttff s p f t t % i t w * i t f r o ? w r t fo rr 5rnr, t fc c t o t *nrjj % ^^-TTT'TO v t w i nftr Wr 'tTTtft’T *TT ’f’TT $ fo rr srw , eft srrft vn sftar «r<rr ^r^rzrv ?rfeff % srar ^ft arhr «praT sftr *PT fafeRT fft’TT ?r«rr *r f *t?it 9ttt% *pt v r< ?ft«rr ^rw *n gyrmfqre | i f*f> 3t?t f w ^ *rr »rft ? t *rnr % *rrs*nr % w h *r<ft tft **rar F'T ^ ^ sTm r ^rgfrr ^ % *TtTTT aft w r tft* srrfo % t^ r gf?rrr % w w % ^ ,a ft *r$r ^ jtIt:§ 5?rr **#, *r*ft ssrr Jr s t a g ? m i ypsr ^ ^rr *TT^Tf>rr| i ^ ^ # o info tT0 t r j jpt ^?r ^ ?tt% tft 3fRT5r ?r|f t i <r^ snretaft *p -spr 5*ITft WT^n % ^t \di ?t ^ 5 f^PTT I apt W % ? to g qrt 3# 1975 ^rrft ^ *r^r^?ftTrt«Pt^3rr«rr f$<Z\ *r % spjr-fa^rite vr <rm |f!T»T % f^rcT «ft7: w ^»rr ^t f«nrr ^r»n% % fa q ?r$ ^ t vrfw <n n^ftfr^^to srrfo tro «Ft w ft «snf*r?r w % m «WT W 9 R | ? ?ft iraprif? ^T*T?Tr | I *f*n % «re forr forr tot m ? ^r*r«Ftf *rm5rr ?$r 11 WT n it t fa s * w m % ?roar m ^r, tr^Nft ?ft vr*r ^^*ft sfore Ir ?*? ^ era? Jpr | sffr %£w%jft%,*m3ft$*n$ar$ »rar^fe % fararc srr^r % st^srt srsr %jw g fr r 11 w tr f o r * *r*r x>r <V% % vtf q#sft^ «rft| i vftx 3ft <fcr?t | ? flRTtr «rr ^ *f ^rnrorft % f?n? lift Jfrdftar (Uvic* CHAITRA 27, 1900 (SAKA) planted in the 3x4 3 * Nanda D evi (CA) I do not know what is tbe “bomb­ 93 it* 5 * ftwrr *mr 1 vett^e shell” which has been hidden in the * KTffc m *.7 «rwr mind of the Government.