Direndra Sharma reprinted with permission from
Poison Fire, Sacred Earth,
TESTIMONIES, LECTURES, CONCLUSIONS,
THE WORLD URANIUM HEARING, SALZBURG 1992
pages 126-128

Everywhere, the story is the same, in almost all Third World countries. People are illiterate, ignorant. In my language there is no word for radiation. And nobody until 10 to 15 years ago knew any critical assessment of nuclear power. And till this day, there's not a single scientist of my country who has said publicly that nuclear power is dangerous. In fact, there're publications, paid by us, by tax payers, on a glossy paper, and the title is "Nuclear power is safe", and there's a picture of the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, and it is mass circulated to all universities, libraries, members of parliaments, giving the data that there is more radiation in a thermal power station than in the atomic power station. And this statement was made by the late Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, on television of the country. So our media is controlled by the government. And till this day, in spite of our very serious effort, we have not been able to make one single discussion or presentation on the television or radio of India. . . . This is a very serious situation for our country or for most Third World countries, because among most(?) countries you have independent sources of income. But in India, 95 percent of research and development funds and the jobs are controlled and financed and governed by the Government of India. Therefore, no scientist will dare publicly to take a position against nuclear power.
. . . Now, data is that 70 percent of our research and development funds are diverted to defense, atomic energy and space program totally secret. In almost all advanced countries research, even defense research, is carried out in the universities, but in our country our universities receive less than two percent finances of the science budget. Renewable resources of energy is 0.1 percent, health / medical research less than two percent, and atomic energy between 15 to 25 percent, space 20 percent, and 35 to 40 percent is defense research. And there are interlinkages between the defense, the space and atomic energy. And all these three departments remain totally secret.



Direndra Sharma

Direndra Sharma, Jaduguda, India. Medical doctor, Director of the Centre for Asian Science and Industrial Policy Research, Convener of the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy.

Thank you. Sisters and Brothers, you have heard since morning so many testimonies, so many scientific papers, what you have just seen so very well prepared presentation, only that it was focused on one area, Jaduguda, which is the oldest and most richest uranium mining area of government of India.

I thought we had to show you a film, but because it's too late we have been told that we cannot show you that film. I was relying more on that film, because that could have sold(?), it is very comprehensive. But it is about 52 minutes length, and it takes every aspect of India's nuclear policy and program: South, North, East, West, its Atomic Energy Act, its repressive clauses including its weapons programs reflection. And this morning I talked to Delhi. We were planning to show that in India, but I'm told that it has been censored. But that film will be shown during some other time. It will be fixed.

Now, therefore, I will take time when the film is shown to reflect back with you. But a few remarks which I would like to make. When our friend from Brazil was presenting and Argentina, it appeared to me that they were talking exactly what's happening in India. So I don't have to repeat to you.

Everywhere, the story is the same, in almost all Third World countries. People are illiterate, ignorant. In my language there is no word for radiation. And nobody until 10 to 15 years ago knew any critical assessment of nuclear power. And till this day, there's not a single scientist of my country who has said publicly that nuclear power is dangerous. In fact, there're publications, paid by us, by tax payers, on a glossy paper, and the title is "Nuclear power is safe", and there's a picture of the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, and it is mass circulated to all universities, libraries, members of parliaments, giving the data that there is more radiation in a thermal power station than in the atomic power station. And this statement was made by the late Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, on television of the country. So our media is controlled by the government. And till this day, in spite of our very serious effort, we have not been able to make one single discussion or presentation on the television or radio of India. But we have been inspired by your movements. We got the information "Critical Assessments of Technology" from the western nations. We were highly influenced, and this is a compliment, and as far as the dissemination of scientific knowledge and information is concerned, we totally relied our movement on the information we got from you.

But at the same time, in the study of science policy we discovered that the nuclear issue is one issue in which unprecedented disagreement prevails among the scientific community. But if we study -- I determined a parameter, that when a scientist says that there are less risks and he says, there's a greater radiation in background, or he says that there are greater advantages, or if a scientist says that nuclear power is economical, in the long run there is no answer to nuclear power -- you can work it out his biodata and you will see that he is working for some government agency or some industry. This is a very serious situation for our country or for most Third World countries, because among most(?) countries you have independent sources of income. But in India, 95 percent of research and development funds and the jobs are controlled and financed and governed by the Government of India. Therefore, no scientist will dare publicly to take a position against nuclear power.

But [there is] something much more serious or sinister in which we are helpless, and that is, as a Third World country which has been governed by the white nation for 300 years, had just aspired to be politically independent and has a say in international affairs, we desire to be developed, we want to be advanced, and the more advancement and development we find in you. Whatever were the western powers who ruled us for 300 years, the source of knowledge is you, more development and advancement is you, so if you have atomic power stations, if you have a high standard of living, then we must have the same. And amazingly, I see nobody smoking in this hall. But our ladies, our women smoke more because that's supposed to be a moral of western women in liberation. Our college girls smoke more, and I say: "Why are you smoking?". They say: "Well, we are liberated, we are modern." Because you are the model. So we are in such a fix that when we talk in India for an anti-nuclear campaign, they say: "Why do you want to stop the advancement?" Therefore, anyone who criticizes nuclear programs, who criticizes space programs, it is implied that he's working for a western interest. You don't want us to advance? The United States are going to attack Iraq, but it doesn't attack any other country. France doesn't stop its experiments, it doesn't stop its explosions, but George Bush has never delivered an ultimatum to France or to Britain, then why we are to be given ultimatums? And today, the latest report is that the Pentagon has turned its missiles on Third World countries and has said officially that "We have a right to do preventive attack on any Third World country where we see the potential for nuclear power or a space program".

In that situation I cannot today -- though we have a struggle for the last 15 years against nuclear power and nuclear weapons in my country -- go back and tell the people of India to say, "sign and pity and give up nuclear power."

I am a traitor, and I would not use the expression, but it hurts that I've been accused to be a CIA agent. And the film which had just been released and shown, we have worked for two years on that film by James Gaglaruk(?) who is a well known activist producer; and it is he who at first time exposed the Windscale radiation leaks and the cases around the villages, and he came to India as a friend of India, and he worked with us. And this film has been banned because to be accused -- and we said in the film, he asked me that if that is the case, and we will show you some very vivid witnesses, that there are such dangerous examples, we have very high leaks and so forth, it's a very economically based of our(?) resources, then why is your government spending so much money? Now, data is that 70 percent of our research and development funds are diverted to defense, atomic energy and space program totally secret. In almost all advanced countries research, even defense research, is carried out in the universities, but in our country our universities receive less than two percent finances of the science budget. Renewable resources of energy is 0.1 percent, health / medical research less than two percent, and atomic energy between 15 to 25 percent, space 20 percent, and 35 to 40 percent is defense research. And there are interlinkages between the defense, the space and atomic energy. And all these three departments remain totally secret. You have seen that your pictures and the reports are -- that you go to Windscale, you produce the data, there's so much radioactivity has been released in the waters, so many million tons. Data is produced about Britain, United States or Germany.

In our country we cannot take a measurement, we cannot collect a scent of water from that area where it is released. You saw the picture of a friend has shown you from Jaduguda restricted areas. So, if you go at a village, you are going it's possible. But if we're going to investigate, we carry the instruments or we take a picture, we are forbidden. We are arrested, unpatriotic, and we are charged. In such situations repression in this area is enormous, and because they control 95 percent research funds and the jobs, they have enormous power of punishment and patronage. So, any scientist who criticizes these policies will be out of job, and unemployment is as high as 45 percent. But the question will be: What bothers the scientists, why a scientist can't tell the truth? Why not we can produce an Oppenheimer in my country?

In the West, they always tell me that: "Isn't that your land, the land of Mahathma Gandhi?" So I say: "Look, isn't it your land, the land of Christianity, so don't expect us to be holier-than-thou." And in fact, we could be much worse, because in the advanced countries you have democratic institutions which can pressurize the governments, but our institutions are not strong enough, not developed enough. And social consciousness has not arrived at that level which you have achieved in the West. Therefore, our masses are still living in a feudal system, where a brahman or a priest or the prime minister is some kind of superman. In the West, you can face the prime minister and you can throw an egg on the prime minister. But in our country we cannot. They have a distance. Indirectly we can criticize, but not directly. And therefore, if you see, never our science policy comes to the test, so all the scientists and the people are totally oblivious of the critical issues. But if you talk to scientists personally, they will agree, that -- yes -- there is a case. But legally we cannot prove it because the Atomic Energy Department and Space and Defense are beyond the purview of law.

Another situation that is much more serious is, scientific dishonesty prevails in which we all share with the western powers. That means, and you know, again and again you will hear, in all of our documents, if you raise the question in the parliament, the answer is that, according to our log-books, we have never registered a release of radioactivity beyond permissible limit. Now this permissible limit -- when we ask the question, what is the permissible limit, it is never specified. It is said, according to international IAEA, ICRP, whatever they have said is permissible limit. So, once I had a friendly discussion with a chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. I said: "Look, off the record, I feel you are dishonest." So he said: "You are telling us dishonest, we have like your church a doctrine in nuclear establishment. And the doctrine is called 'alara' which governs the permissible limit. This is accepted by the international scientific body IREA. And 'alara' stands for 'as low as reasonably achievable'." This is scientific data. IREA had it specified, an international -- the Radiation Council has approved this doctrine. It is called doctrine, like the Pope gives a doctrine. Now the question is, the chairman tells me as a friend, he says: "Sharma, how can you accuse us, we are governed by the doctrine 'as low as reasonably achievable', and a further clause says, 'reasonable' means 'socially, economically, technologically'."

So, in the advanced countries your standard is high, you can mend a low-radiation leak. In a Third World country, technologically, financially, economically we are weak, so your standards don't apply to us, and, therefore, whenever somebody's in charge of the radiating facilities, he or she can determine what is the permissible limit. So if it is ten, if it is 20, whatever it is, he or she decides that in the greater safety and efficiency management of the reactor it is necessary to release so much in the water, it is the permissible limit governed by the doctrine, we have violated no law.

So, these are the things, and when we say -- for example, you saw the transportations of the broken yellowcakes from Jaduguda to Hyderabad, almost 2,000 kilometers distance -- now, international standards are, you inform the civil authorities before you transport any radioactive material. In my country, no such law prevails. Now we asked: "Under law?" "Yes, they are under law. We have informed." "Whom have you informed?" "We can't tell you, it's confidential." And they say: "If we inform the people that we are carrying radioactive material, we are doing your dirty work. It is your job, who are opposing, to alert the people, not our job. Our job is to transport such things as safely as possible. We are in charge, we are the custodian, why should we tell the people what to do? Because then they will panic in the country." So, any part of an atomic power station, when it is installed or site selection is made, construction is done, it is all a total secret, there's no public hearing, local population is not participating, they've never been asked whether there should be an atomic power station here or there or not. Decision is made by the experts and scientists, and when we go and tell the local population, they say: "Are you the scientist? Isn't it the job of the experts, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, the prime minister, the chief minister and the governors? Don't they know what is right and wrong for the country's development?"

So, I submit it to you that there are many ways but we still have a long way to struggle, but mostly it depends what you do in the West. The day France declares, or Britain declares, the banning of atomic power we will be greatly supported, and at last we can show you that our prime minister has declared that India should go for renewable resources of energy. He had also said that India should be a leading nation to export the technology and renewable resources to other Third World countries; and the latest report is -- we would not use the official expression, but in our word it is moratorium on new projects. And that is, I congratulate you and the movement which has created the pressure and made it impossible for atomic power establishment in spite of their games and the power they have within their country and the Third World, that at the moment our nuclear power is dead, but refuses to lay down.

Thank you.