DU’s Radiation Fiasco Prompts Govt To Plan Mobile Detection Systems. Fear of exposure to radiation from scrap or medical waste may soon be a thing of the past. The central government will set up mobile radiation detection systems in 35 major cities across the country. “We shall be setting up 1,000 such systems across the country,” said M Shashidhar Reddy, vice-president, National Disaster Management Authority. “In Chennai, these systems will be set up in 70 police stations. They are portable and can be attached to a police patrol vehicle or used as a handheld device,” he said. The idea for the scheme came up in the aftermath of the incident in Mayapuri in Delhi in 2010 when one person died for radiation exposure. A piece of cobalt-60 kept by Delhi University for research purposes was auctioned to a scrap dealer. It was then cut into 11 pieces by workers who weren’t aware of its hazardous nature and found its way to several others later. One of them unwittingly carried two pieces of the material in his wallet and was later admitted to hospital. It took 25 days for authorities to detect and clear the area of cobalt pieces. “We don’t want a repeat of that incident,” said Reddy. “So far, we have not had any detection system anywhere in the country. The installation of these systems will help detect other sources of radiation, apart from nuclear plants, like from medical waste. Local policemen will be trained to use the devices.” According to Reddy, the scheme was approved in mid-2011 and has received funding of Rs 8 crore. “The distribution of the systems will be done by the NDMA, but the technical support will be given by Baba Atomic Research Centre. We are in discussion with the states with regard to the distribution. The systems will be procured by the home ministry.”