Delhi varsity radiation victims move high court

Even as the world braces up for the radiation fall-out from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, attention has shifted to the travails of last year’s radiation victims in Delhi. The victims have moved the Delhi high court seeking compensation for the mental agony and physical ailments they suffered. 

It was last April that a metal pipe discarded from Delhi University’s  (DU) chemistry laboratory, containing the radioactive metal cobalt 60, was found in Mayapuri scrap market.

The unprotected pipe killed one person and affected eight. Scrap dealer Ajay Jain, 40, was one of the eight. “That small piece of metal became my worst nightmare,” he said.

Ajay had to sell his shop to pay around Rs18 lakh for his treatment. Deepak Jain, 33, another affected scrap dealer had to shell out Rs10 lakh. 

The government, despite promises have not compensated any of the victims, adding to their trauma. “The culprits who sold the radioactive material have not been booked yet,” said Ajay. 

Besides the high cost of treatment, the victims also suffer from ensuing health problems. Ajay cannot walk as doctors had to peel off infected flesh, including some parts of his stomach, thighs and legs which were critically affected by radiation.

Dr SS Gambhir, consultant plaster and cosmetic in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital who has been treating the two told DNA, “In such cases the injured part of the body heals slowly as blood supply to the affected part stops. We had to peel off part of skin to heal the wounded place.” 

After the incident, the authorities put up meters to detect radiation. “It lasted for only 15 days. Now if any scrap material has any radiation material we cannot detect it,” Vivek Goyal, a scrap dealer in Mayapuri, said.