Mumbai/Bangalore, November 29
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, under which the Kaiga atomic power plant falls, has identified some employees who could have contaminated the drinking water in a section of the plant with radioactive material, resulting which around 50 employees have taken ill.

According to sources, around a dozen employees are being grilled. Chairman and Managing Director of NPCIL SK Jain said in a statement here that contamination at the nuclear plant could have been a deliberate act of mischief and not the result of any mishap.

Jain confirmed that no security systems were breached by outsiders and there were no release of radioactive material into the environment. Forty-five to fifty employees working in the first maintenance unit of the Kaiga plant were treated at the plant hospital in Mallapur for increased level of tritium after they drank water from a cooler in the operating area on November 24.

NPC officials said investigators probing the matter have identified the employees ,who had access to the first unit of the plant between 3 am and 6 am on November 24.

Access permits are routinely issued to all personnel entering operating island and the computerised access control system has record of all the personnel who have entered the operating island”, the statement said indicating that the culprit involved in the mischief would not be able to get away.

The employees are being questioned by various agencies, NPCIL officials said. The water cooler from where employees of the plant drank water was found contaminated with tritium (a radioactive isotope of hydrogen). The cooler has been was isolated and put out of use.

According to Jain, none of the employees have been hospitalised. “Preliminary inquiry does not reveal any violation of operating procedures or radioactivity releases or security breach. It is possibly an act of mischief. The related agencies are investigating,” he said.

As a precaution bioassay samples of all the persons working in that particular area were analysed. “Based on the analyses results, a few personnel were advised to visit for routine medical consultation as per laid down procedures. They are attending to their normal duties. This incidence has no way affected public, safety, health and environment”, the NPCIL said.

The first plant where the incident occurred has been shut for routine maintenance.