A Washington-based think-tank has claimed that India is expanding its military nuclear site near Mysore.
In a statement released on the eve of crucial Indo-US Strategic Dialogue the Institute for Science and International Security said on Thursday that Google Earth imagery showed initial excavations and construction of a large building or buildings at the Rare Materials Plant site in Karnataka.
"While the construction is in its early stages in this image, the size of the building or buildings to be constructed indicates that these will be large industrial buildings," it said as it released a satellite picture of the site taken on March 30.
"A DigitalGlobe satellite image from 2005 shows the same area as undeveloped with several adjacent ponds," it said referring to the older picture of the same site.
"Based on procurement data and public advertisements for bidding requests, ISIS concluded in 2006 that India was on the verge of adding at least 3,000 centrifuges to the RMP," it claimed.
"If the construction seen in the March 3, 2010 imagery is for a new gas centrifuge hall, India's uranium enrichment capacity at RMP will be greatly expanded," ISIS claimed.
