PIL seeks halt of operations at BARC and Tarapur Atomic Power station

A public interest litigation was filed in the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, seeking a halt to operations of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre here and the Tarapur Atomic Power Station due to frequent earthquakes in the neighbouring Palghar district. The PIL, filed by a 21-year-old engineering student, Taaha Nizam, sought issuance of directions in this regard to authorities concerned like the Maharashtra government and the BARC, which comes under the Department of Atomic Energy, among others.

Between November 2018-December 2018, Palghar district experienced 29 earthquakes of varying magnitudes (tremors were also felt in late February and on March 1), the PIL said. "The frequent earthquakes witnessed in Palghar district pose a high risk to the nuclear facilities. The government has to review the safety measures of these facilities," it said.

The petition urged the HC to direct government authorities to reveal what disaster management plan they have in place to deal with any untoward incident at the two premier facilities. BARC, a multi-disciplinary nuclear research centre of the DAE, is in Trombay, Mumbai, while the atomic power station is located at Tarapur in Palghar district.

"The Tarapur Atomic Power Station is located in Palghar district and the BARC is around 70km away. Both are fully operational units," the petition, filed through advocate Tanveer Nizam, said. It said any untoward incident at these facilities due to tremors would pose a threat to life, the environment and property. The PIL is expected to come up for hearing before a division bench headed by Chief Justice N H Patil in due course.

(With inputs from agencies.)