AERB team starts investigation into lapses by DU

New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) A team from the Atomic Energy
Regulatory Board (AERB) on Saturday launched investigation
into the lapses by Delhi University in auctioning of
radioactive material leading to the death of a labourer here
recently.
The four-member team is also looking for certain
radioactive pencils which are reportedly missing. The team
went to the Physics Department which makes use of the
radioactive material in its labs, sources said.
They spoke to the faculty members and inspected the
lab to see how the material is being used and whether safety
norms are adhered to by department. The department has been
cordoned off and outsiders are not allowed entry.
The AERB on Thursday issued notice to the university
to explain within two weeks how safety norms were violated and
how the varsity could auction such material which could prove
fatal.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Deepak Pental has admitted
negligence on part of the university and said it took "moral
responsibility.
Eleven people were admitted to hospitals last month
after they were exposed to radiation in a scrap market in
Mayapuri. A worker exposed to radiation later died in
hospital.
The university was given authorisation for the gamma
cell by the then Directorate of Radiation Protection in
January 1970. PTI