[meteorite-list] radioactive meteorites and India nuke hazards-RTI application on meteor shower lost in space 30MAR08

From: drtanuki <drtanuki_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:14:56 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <510749.92944.qm_at_web53203.mail.re2.yahoo.com>

List,
  Here is a further article from the Indian press
concerning the "radioactive" meteorites and Indian
nuclear hazard posed by an impact of a meteorite.
Thank you. Dirk Ross...Tokyo

Publication:Times Of India Ahmedabad;
Date:Mar 30, 2008; Section:Times City;
Page Number:5


USE RTI A TIMES OF INDIA ENDEAVOUR

RTI application on meteor shower lost in space

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad: They travelled through space before they
fell in and around Vandhiya village of Bhachau taluka
near Surajbari bridge linking Kutch and Saurashtra on
July 31 two years back.

The meteorite shower then is reverberating now with an
RTI application orbiting in five Central government
departments and officials still failing to provide
information, facing the possibility of being fined
upto Rs 25,000. About a month after TOI reported fall
of the fragments of meteorites city-based Manoj Pai,
general secretary of the Confederation of Indian
Amateur Astronomers?f Association filed an application
under Right to Information (RTI) Act to the Prime
Minister?fs Office, Delhi.

    Attached along with was a copy of TOI?fs August 2,
2006 front page story titled ?eAstronomers?f joy:
Meteorite pieces found?f.

    This story had scientists from Geological Survey
of India (GSI) in Gandhinagar warning readers against
free handling of the meteorite fragments as these
objects could be radioactive.

    Deputy director general, western region, GSI had
written to the then chief secretary of the state
Sudhir Mankad asking him to issue instructions to
people to avoid touching them. Goyal had told TOI then
that ?ethere is every possibility the meteorites may
be radioactive. These may even cause cancer. Our teams
have left for Kutch to pick up the samples for
analysis.?f

    Manoj Pai wanted to know the PM?fs opinion on
hazards from radioactive meteorites, especially the
one that fell in Gujarat on 31st July 2006, the
precautions the PM office has taken in this regard, if
any, the institutes in India that can detect such
radioactive objects and carry out research work done
on the subject.

    The PMO transferred Pai?fs application to the
Department of Science and Technology (DST). DST then
sent it to Department of Atomic Energy (DEA).

    Not getting any reply from DEA after two months,
Pai filed his first appeal with the department. DEA
then woke up to the application and sent it to Nuclear
Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). NCPIL promptly
did a ?enot here?f and sent it back to DEA, which then
decided to send it to Bhabha Atomic Research Center
(BARC).

    Finally, on not getting any information, Pai
lodged his appeal before the Central Information
Commission (CIC) in March last year. In his appeal,
Pai said, ?gAction should be taken if information
provided to press on August 1, 2006, is found to be
false.?h

    He also added, ?gIt is a wellknown fact that
cancer is dangerous and fatal. If one can really get
cancer from meteorites, then this application must be
considered under the clause of ?eLife and Liberty?f.?h


    CIC then directed the officers concerned to
provide information to Pai within ten days. Even at
the CIC hearing to decide on the show cause it had
issued to ascertain the penalty, Pai did not receive
complete information. RTI meteorites TRAVEL ROUTE

September 12, 2006 | RTI application to Prime
Ministers Office, Delhi October 12, 2006 | PMO
transfers application to Department of Science and
Technology (DST) October 25, 2006 | DST transfers it
to Department of Atomic Energy December 20, 2006 |
First appeal before Department of Atomic Energy
January 17, 2007 | Department of Atomic Energy sends
appeal to Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.
January 23, 2007 | Nuclear Power Corporation of India
Ltd. sends it back to Department of Atomic Energy
January 31, 2007 | Department of Atomic Energy sends
appeal to Bhabha Atomic Research Center March 20, 2007
| Second appeal before Central Information Commission


http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQS8yMDA4LzAzLzMwI0FyMDA1MDA=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
Received on Mon 31 Mar 2008 07:14:56 PM PDT