Bangladesh cabinet okays creation of nuclear body

The Bangladesh cabinet has approved the draft of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Control Act 2012.

Consequently it kept the provisions constituting a separate regulator for the country's first-ever nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Pabna. The approval was given at the weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Bangladesh secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Under the proposed act, a five-member regulatory body titled ' Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority' headed by a chairman will be constituted to supervise the activities of the operator of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant to be constructed with the assistance of Russian Federation.

Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the cabinet approved the act as there is no regulatory body as well as legal and institutional framework for the power plant at present. An advisory committee will be formed with the experts from related sectors.

Under the act, the operator will have to take the responsibility for any damage due to accident in the plant. The claim of damage will have to be filed within ten years after the accident and disposed of within 50 years.

The issues of definition, goals and activities of the authority, determination of compensation, security and safety of the power plants as well as safety measures against radiation and management of nuclear waste have been mentioned in the proposed act.

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