Scrap dealer Deepak Jain and his four helpers were injured after exposure to radioactive hospital waste in west Delhi’s Mayapuri area on Thursday night.
A case of radioactive exposure in the national capital forced the country’s disaster management system to swing into action on Friday.
While the government said it will evolve a policy to make scrap dealers report radioactive exposures, disaster management authorities said they would install radiation detection equipment on all police vehicles.
Scrap dealer Deepak Jain and his four helpers were injured after exposure to radioactive hospital waste in west Delhi’s Mayapuri area on Thursday night. Jain is in a critical condition at Apollo Hospital. The scrap dealer had come in contact with a mysterious shiny substance.
Experts from three different organisations — Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Narora atomic plant and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) — later found the shiny substance to be cobalt 60, a radioactive isotope.
Science and technology minister Prithviraj Chavan said his ministry would evolve some mechanism so that scrap dealers such as Jain could report any such radioactive leaks in future.
NDMA, which is heading the programme, said the home ministry would call a meeting of state chief secretaries to make them aware of radioactive detection kits to be installed on police vehicles.
“The documents are with the home ministry and the process of installing equipment on police vehicles would start soon,” B Bhattacharjee, nuclear scientist at NDMA, said.
He said all cities with a population of more than 20 lakh would have the facility and the expense of installing the equipment would be borne by NDMA. The nuclear scientist who is also part of the massive effort said the equipment and its installation would cost around Rs25,000. He said NDMA would not depend on state governments for funds.
Meanwhile, Apollo Hospital issued a bulletin on Jain’s condition: “His bone marrow is significantly suppressed and his condition continues to be critical. Jain is in ICU and a multidisciplinary team of doctors is monitoring his progress,” the bulletin said.
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