To                                                                 June 16th, 2007

Mr. R. Gupta
Chairman and Managing Director
Uranium Corporation of India Ltd.
P O Jaduguda Mines
Dist. Singhbhum (East)
Jharkhand – 832 102
Fax: 0657-2730348
E-mail: cmducil@satyam.net.in <mailto: cmducil@satyam.net.in>


Ms. Sunita Narain
Director
Centre for Science and Environment
41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area
New Delhi 110 062

Dear Mr. Gupta and Ms. Narain:

I would like to thank Ms. Narain and the CSE for their concern on
environmental and health issues of Jadugoda and their sincere attempts to provide a platform for a dialogue between UCIL and the various NGOs and media.  I also thank Mr. Gupta for his response showing his openness for such a dialogue.
 

 Encouraged by Mr. Gupta's reassurance that he is willing to address and clarify various issues, I would like to seek some clarification on an important issue.  Mr. Gupta is probably aware that a pipe carrying radioactive  uranium mine tailings burst on 24th Dec 2006, contaminating an important water source in the area, and that it was only after a long 9-hour protest by the villagers that the UCIL officials responded to this accident.  We had sought relevant information regarding the extent of contamination because of this accident, and the efforts made by UCIL to decontaminate and clean-up the affected area. Since this information was not forthcoming from the press interaction with UCIL, several of us also organized an online petition to the UCIL, signed by over 500 people and organizations from all over the world, requesting this information.  However, there was no response to this petition.(you can see it in this link)

http://petitions.aidindia.org/jadugoda-tailing-pipe-leak/index.php

Following this, on 15 May 2007, I filed an application requesting this information under the RTI Act with the Department of Atomic Energy. A copy of this application is attached with this email.  Acting upon this application, Ms. Lathika Goel, Deputy Secretary I &M, Department of Atomic Energy directed the UCIL Company Secretary, Mr. P.V. Dubey, to send me the relevant information vide letter No. 4/5(2)/2007-PSU/ 345 dated 25 May, 2007 (attached).  I hope to receive this information soon, but have not received it yet.

Since I received a copy of the correspondence between Ms. Narain and Mr. Gupta, where Mr. Gupta expresses his willingness to address our issues and provide clarifications regarding UCIL's operation, I am taking this opportunity to request him to send us this information. i hope this would be the first step for the future of dialogue.

thanking you once again.
Sincerely

Shriprakash

Jharkhandi Organisation Against Radiation
Village: Tilai Tand
P O Jadugoda, Dist.
East Singhbhum, Jharkhand
 

Copy to:

Other NGOS/media from Jaduguda who attended GRPs mining conference

1. Samit Carr
General Secretary
Occupational Safety and Health Association of Jharkhand


2.   Vasavi Kiro
Freelance Journalist/Editor
Prabhat Khabar/Sarjom Sakham and Indigenious News and Views Agency
Kokar, Khorha Toli
Mission Colony, Kokar
Ranchi
Jharkhand

3.   Anupama Kumari
Staff Reporter
Prabhat Khabar
D/O Sri Chandrika Prasad Rai
Q No CD/517/2, HEC Colony
Dhurwa
Ranchi
Jharkhand

Attached RTI document 

Reference  

1) Google Search

2) Movie : Buddha weeps in Jaduguda

3) Story of poor man