India’s atomic energy pioneer Srinivasan passes away
Dr MR Srinivasan, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy, passed away in Udhagamandalam at the age of 95 on Tuesday.
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was set up on August 15, 1948, with Dr Homi J Bhabha as its chairman. On Bhabha’s suggestion, the details of the atomic energy programme were kept secret. Bhabha argued with India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that the AEC must be a small body of eminent scientists, and should be directly under the PM’s jurisdiction instead of any other government department. One of the scientists in the team was Dr Srinivasan.
A graduate of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bengaluru, Srinivasan earned his Master’s degree in engineering in 1952, followed by a PhD in 1954 from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. With an expertise in gas turbine technology, he joined the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in September 1955 and began his distinguished career working alongside Bhabha on the construction of India’s first nuclear research reactor, Apsara, which achieved criticality in August 1956.
He was appointed Principal Project Engineer for the construction of India’s first atomic power station in 1959. In 1967, he took charge as Chief Project Engineer of the Madras Atomic Power Station.
In 1974, he became Director of the Power Projects Engineering Division, Department of Atomic Energy, and in 1984 became the Chairman of the Nuclear Power Board. In these roles, he oversaw the planning, execution and operation of all nuclear power projects across the country.
In 1987, he was appointed Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy. That same year, he became the Founder-Chairman of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). Under his leadership, 18 nuclear power units were developed.
He was an ardent believer in nuclear energy and reiterated on numerous occasions that nuclear energy is the only option to meet the country’s energy needs. Amid protests against Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, he assured that the plant was safe.
Allaying public fears regarding the Kudankulam plant in the wake of the Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters, Srinivasan said, “If we don’t go ahead with our nuclear plans, we won’t be able to supply electricity to India’s aspiring population. Since alternatives like gas, solar, and wind energy are expensive, we should never say no to nuclear energy. The Fukushima plant was built on a beachfront, but Kudankulam was constructed on solid terrain and that too keeping all safety aspects in mind. Also, we are not in a tsunami prone area. The plants in Kudankulam have a double containment system that can withstand high pressure.”
From 1990-1992, Srinivasan was a senior adviser at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, and was a Member of the Planning Commission, India, from 1996 to 1998, looking after the portfolios of Energy and Science and Technology.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would always be grateful to him for advancing scientific progress and mentoring many young scientists.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Dr Srinivasan, a stalwart of India’s nuclear energy programme. His instrumental role in developing critical nuclear infrastructure has been foundational to our being self-reliant in the energy sector.”
Srinivasan’s daughter Sharada Srinivasan, in a post on Facebook, said, “Appa…you always said work was duty and that I should not miss a day of work regardless of other things…but still this is not fair…I had just told you of our plans to have 95th celebration of your life’s work couple of days back. My father suddenly took ill in Ooty last night and passed away peacefully in hospital at 4am.”
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to India’s nuclear energy programme, Dr Srinivasan was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the nuclear power stations now operating at Kalpakkam, Rawatbhata, Kaiga, Kakrapar and Narora were all shining testimonies to his yeoman contributions to nation-building.
“It has been my good fortune to have known him for a long time and he is someone who has left a deep and lasting impression on me by the strength of his commitments, his deep appreciation of the larger social functions of science, and his profound understanding of India’s rich cultural traditions,” he said.
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