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6 June 2002 |
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But these plans are "top secret" and kept under wraps to prevent India's one billion people from going into a panic. Prasad refuses to part with
information such as which cities and towns and what installations are the "most vulnerable" to nuclear attacks. "We don't want to give out these details
because the other side will then pick up the information," said Prasad. "The press should understand this."
He was confident the government was cranked up to deal with any contingency arising from a nuclear strike or any form of chemical or biological attack
launched by Pakistan. "We will know 24 four hours before such a strike occurs," said Prasad. He did not explain how he would be privy to advance information.
The civil defence chief said it would take 24 hours to get the government's plan into operation. "When we find an attack is imminent, we shall tell
people what they should do," he said, trying to explain why the government is not putting out the dos and don'ts to guide the public. "There will be plenty of
time for all people to know what they must do," Prasad added.
His confidence is not shared by people who have studied the effects of a nuclear explosion. There will be a complete breakdown of medical services. Some
years ago, the International Association of Physicians Against Nuclear Weapons came out with a poster that showed a telephone hanging from its cradle after a nuclear
strike. It had a message: "Don't bother to contact your physician."
States have finalised their programme of action, Prasad said. Everyone involved with civil defence knows exactly what the line of action should be and it
will not take time for emergency and civil defence services to roll.
All this was finalised last month when Cabinet secretary T.R. Prasad held a meeting of state chief secretaries and briefed them on the contingency plans.
State directors-general of police were also called. Special provisions have to be made for border states like Gujarat which are more vulnerable to attack.
Critics say little planning has gone into dealing with the aftermath of either a nuclear or biological or a chemical attack. "Everything is very
preliminary, no serious effort has gone into this. We are hoping to rely on the expertise we have gathered in managing our nuclear plants," said a civil defence
official.
"We can merely take off from the safety drills in place there and apply it to a larger canvas," said a civil defence official who did not wish
to be identified.
While there is no escape for those who are at ground zero - the point directly under an aerial burst and the surrounding three miles - the extent of
damage dissipates with distance, civil defence officials said. The first 96 hours after an explosion are the most dangerous.
In vulnerable areas, evacuation is the only option. Failing this, people need to get into basements of homes or into underground railways in cities that
have one. Only Calcutta does.
The authorities have already evaluated the high-risk points and divided the country into 225 categories. Atomic power stations and Delhi, Mumbai,
Bangalore and Gujarat are high-danger centres.
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