Setu like a cyclotron accumulating thorium, making India a nuclear resource zone

Setu like a cyclotron accumulating thorium, making India a nuclear resource zone

It is now common knowledge that beach sands are being exported and that these sands contain strategic metals: thorium, titanium. Thorium is strategic for the nation’s nuclear programme; titanium is strategic for the nation’s space programme. These strategic metals should NOT be allowed to be exported in any form or formulation and retained as nation’s reserves for nation’s integrity and energy independence. It is also reliably learnt (Hon’ble Pon. Radhakrishnan ji) that thorium from IREL’s stockpiles is also vanishing. Kalyanaraman 24 August 2007

Strategic metals and resources of India Jayaram’s article on thorium placers is also confirmed by US Geological Survey at http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/thorium/thorimcs07.pdf

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium See also: http://kalyan97.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/thorium-strategic-nuclear-fuel-of-india/

Don’t you think that this world’s weath should be safeguarded? Who is in charge for the security of this world’s wealth, nation’s wealth? Kalyanaraman

RSS gives Sethu a nuke twist
‘Sethu’s Like A Cyclotron Accumulating Thorium’
Girish Kuber MUMBAI (Economic Times, Bangalore, Page 3)

RASHTRIYA Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has found more credible reasons to oppose the Centre’s controversial Ram Setu project. The Sangh has pointed out that the project will severely impact the country’s nuclear programme and undersea mineral resources.
Giving a scientific twist to its stance against the demolition of Ram Setu (Adam’s bridge) under the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP), the Sangha has cautioned that rich deposits of Thorium, considered important for energy independence, would be disturbed if the Ram Setu is destroyed.

The Rs 2,300 crore SSCP has been mired in controversy ever since it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2005. The decision to destroy the Rama Setu, the ancient bridge between India and Sri Lanka, as the Sangh claims, is against India’s heritage, religious sentiments, environment and the poor farmers of Tamil Nadu.

Former international banker Dr S Kalyanaraman, who is currently spearheading Sangh’s mission to enlighten people on the project, in a detailed presentation to a select group of mediamen harped on country’s energy security vis-a-vis the project. He referred to various studies that have reported precious mineral deposits including that of thorium on a coastline close to Ram Setu. A large deposit of titanium too has been found in the region around the sethu.

Although uranium is the only naturally occurring fissile element directly usable in a nuclear reactor, India has just about 0.8% of the world’s uranium reserves and as such is dependent on import. But it’s been proved beyond doubt that thorium can replace uranium.

Why should we jeopardise these thorium deposits,” he asked. According to official data, India has around 3,00,000 tonnes of thorium reserves — third largest in the world — in the beach sands of Manavalakurichi in Tamil Nadu, Aluva and Chavara in Kerala and Chatrapura in Orissa. “These deposits are waiting to be tapped. The setu acts like a cyclotron accumulating placer deposits. This natural system will be destroyed if the project is implemented,” Dr Kalyanaraman said.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=ETBG/2008/06/02/3/Img/Pg003.png (Page 3, 2 June 2008 ET Bangalore edition)