More steps need to be taken to deal with nuke disaster

New Delh (PTI) - The National Disaster Management
Authority on Wednesday said there was a need to take more
preparatory steps to deal with any nuclear disaster in the
country and emphasised that possibility of radiological
accidents was a matter of greater concern than any
Fukushima-type emergency.
NDMA vice-chairman M Shashidhar Reddy said the
organisation was focusing on preparedness to deal with nuclear
and radiological emergencies.
"Our nuclear plants are safe. There are many in-built
mechanism in the nuclear sites to avoid any disaster. The
Prime Minister is fully satisfied about the safety facilities.
However, we have to take more steps to strengthen our
preparedness to deal with any emergency," he said at a press
conference here.
Reddy was speaking to journalists hours after Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh reviewed the nuclear safety issues
being looked after by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
Singh also took stock of guidelines of management of
nuclear and radiological emergencies issued by the NDMA.
Member of the NDMA B Bhattacharjee said that no one can
give a guarantee that the safety measures are foolproof.
"Hence, we are making our preparation," he said.
Asked about the possibility of nuclear arsenal of
Pakistan falling in the hands of terrorists and in that event
what is India's readiness, Reddy said terror issues receive
highest attention of the government.
"There are different platforms to deal with the terror
issues. It gets highest attention of the leadership of the
country," he said.