HC tells oil commission official to submit report on uranium content
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06/08/2012
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Tribune (New Delhi)
Chandigarh: Oil and Natural Gas Commission’s former engineer I.S. Kalsi was today asked by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to submit his report on uranium content in Malwa waters. The directions came after Kalsi claimed before the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain that he had carried out an extensive study on the issue. As the water contamination case came up for resumed hearing, Kalsi told the court that the comprehensive report was brought to the notice of the authorities concerned in the State of Punjab, but action was just not initiated on the basis of his findings.
Taking note of his assertion, the Bench asked Kalsi to place before the Court a copy of his report in the matter. Already, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has asserted that only reverse osmosis (RO) system will help reduce uranium content from drinking water in parts of Punjab. The BARC, in an affidavit, said a recent study carried out in uranium-affected areas of Punjab showed that the RO system was highly effective in removing uranium from water. “The BARC has only recommended for uses of RO system but it has not installed any RO system in Punjab,” the affidavit added.
The High Court is hearing a petition filed by advocate Barjinder Singh Loomba, seeking relief to the affected people and children in the villages of Bathinda, Faridkot and Ludhiana due to leakage of uranium in water and to find out the source of leakage.