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DRDO nuclear shelters cannot survive 'ground zero'

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

Senior Defence Research and Development Organisation officials on Friday said they were not involved in creating safe locations for the prime minister and important officials to escape a nuclear attack and launch a second strike.

R V Swamy, chief controller of DRDO, said, "We do not know (about nuclear protection for the PM). There are many ministries involved in it."

They also admitted that protective gears against nuclear-chemical-biological attacks developed by the DRDO and being inducted by armed forces would not be effective on 'ground zero' (the actual impact site of a nuclear bomb or missile).

He said the DRDO has not done any work for the Prime Minister's Office regarding nuclear protection.

He did not also know if the nuclear shelter, which they had developed for the army, has been set up in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the PMO.

DRDO officials also were not clear if India's existing communication systems for the nuclear command could survive a nuclear attack, and used for effective second strike.

Speaking about the 26 items that the DRDO has developed over the past one decade for the armed forces to fight nuclear-biological-chemical warfare, Swamy said these have been designed according to the qualitative regulations given by the armed force.

Among the items that they have developed are a comprehensive nuclear shelter, sensors for detecting nuclear, chemical and biological leaks, personal gear for soldiers and decontamination vehicles.

The nuclear shelter, which would be buried about one metre below the ground, can accommodate 30 people for four days. However, Swamy admitted the shelter would not survive a nuclear attack if it was situated at 'ground zero'.

"The shelter provides certain level of protection. If detonation is on ground zero then it won't stand," admitted Swamy.

Swamy said the individual gears developed for soldiers are basically meant for protection against a chemically contaminated environment, he said.

All the 26 equipment have undergone extensive trials, including in chemical and biological environments, before they were handed over to the armed forces, he said.

Despite the shortcomings in the systems, Dr Swamy and other scientists involved in the development of the systems claimed that most of the Indian systems match similar systems available with other nuclear powers.

The armed forces first made their demands for equipment for NBC warfare in 1993-94. Swamy said, "All the 26 items have been produced (by DRDO labs) and accepted by the armed forces."

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