Kaiga investigation team suspects Tritium theft

Mangalore Today News Network

Sirsi, Dec 2: The special investigative team (SIT) of Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), which is investigating the leak of radioactive substances in drinking water at Kaiga, is currently considering the theft angle.

Investigative sources say that the manner in which tritium has been introduced into the drinking water at the plan suggests theft. Sources said that the people who handled the vials of tritium were well aware that 30 ml of tritium cost Rs. 60 lakhs. The person who introduced the tritium into the water cooler should have known that tritium dissolves in water. The investigative team feels that the thief must have hastily put the vials into the water cooler to avoid being caught red-handed with them. 

Only a handful of employees can witness the tritium extraction process, which takes place only when Kaiga is shut down for maintenance. The SIT has now narrowed down on the employees who were present when the plant was shut down for maintenance. 

In spite of the NPCIL’s denial of the matter, unskilled labourers are frequently hired at the plant. Some of them are illegal immigrants from Bangaladesh, pretending to have come from West Bengal. Usually, employees have to show their passes while entering the plant. The labourers are then searched by the CISF. Inside the plant, they are strictly supervised. The SIT feels that the supervision might not have been strict because the plant was closed down for maintenance. 

But Deputy Police Commissioner of Uttara Kannada Chennappa Gowda has said that there is no record of any Bangladeshi working in Kaiga.