New Delhi: Concerned over the safety hazards at a nuclear plant in Rajasthan, an amateur astronomer Manoj Pai moved the Central Information Commission inquiring on precautionary measures taken by the Centre to safeguard them from natural calamities.

Noting the applicant had not moved an appeal before the Appellate Authority of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah remanded back Pai's information request to the department, directing it to reply within 15 days.

Pai had filed his RTI application before information officer of DAE on September 12 last year, but did not get a reply to his query. Aggrieved on that, he moved a complaint before the Commission.

Pai, a resident of Ahmedabad, wanted to know about safety hazards at Rawatbhata Atomic Power Station (RAPS) near Kota in Rajasthan from meteorite strikes.

He became apprehensive after a media report quoted a senior official of Geological Survey of India saying that devastation of an "unimaginable scale" could have been caused had the August 2006 meteorite fall over Kota struck RAPS.

His application had also queried about precautions taken by DAE, responsible for design, construction and operation of nuclear power stations, to prevent such an eventuality.

Habibullah has, however, issued a show cause notice to the department's CPIO for failing to reply to Pai's application within the stipulated time as required under the RTI Act.

Source : PTI