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VP Singh urges Govt to review N-deal
The former PM is asking UPA to take a fresh look at the signed nuclear agreement, reports Satya Prakash.
Former Prime Minister VP Singh has requested the Government to review its decision to go ahead with the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement, saying it could seriously jeopardize India’s strategic interests.
“The deal indirectly deprives us of our right to undertake nuclear testing, seriously jeopardising our strategic interests. It legally binds us and declares cut off of all nuclear export if India were to ever test,” he said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“Ours is a country with Thorium reserves. Our scientists have put in considerable amount of effort in developing Thorium-based nuclear reactors. By importing these expensive Uranium-based reactors we are more or less throttling Thorium option,” the former Prime Minister said.
Drawing Manmohan Singh's attention to the "widespread" criticism of the deal, he said “by investing in Uranium-based reactors we will become forever dependent on the US for the fuel supply.
Supply can be cut off and can be used as an instrument to pressurise us to toe the US line. Neither can India reprocess spent fuel from imported reactors or ship spent fuel to the US without the US Congressional consent.”
Maintaining that India was blessed with alternative sources of energy like coal and hydro, there was no need to bend to the pressure being exerted by the US.
“More importantly, the deal does not provide any escape clause for us whereas ample of escape clauses for the US exist,” he said, pointing out that “transfer of technology is not included in the deal.”
The former Prime Minister further drew Manmohan Singh’s attention to the fact that the deal included a bar on building strategic fuel reserves, which was essential for uninterrupted operation of India’s nuclear reactors.
Raising the environmental issues concerning the deal, VP Singh said, the waste disposal of nuclear plants could be a cause of serious environmental hazard, which could cause ecological imbalance and adversely affect the country’s rich natural resources and vegetation.
Email Satya Prakash: satya.prakash@hindustantimes.com
