Abdul Kalam urges solutions to make N-plants safe

India’s former president and nuclear scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam said the world should identify solutions to make nuclear power plants safe rather than deciding against them.

“Just because the Titanic sunk, the world did not stop building better ships.

Similarly we need to work towards improving technology and ensure nuclear power plants are safe. There will be accidents, but we need to work towards removing the hurdles, rather than go back,” said Kalam addressing a group of children at the JSS International School in Barsha Dubai.

Stressing the need for nuclear power, the man who was instrumental in India’s second series of nuclear tests in 1998 said: “We need nuclear energy, especially since it is clean energy.”

Even as workers at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant are struggling to contain the radiation leak from the nuclear fuel rods, the world has started to debate on the safety and future of nuclear power plants. Opponents of nuclear power have already started to call upon governments to stop all future plans to build nuclear power plants, especially in earthquake prone areas. According to reports, Tepco the operator of the Fukushima power plants says it will take another six to nine months before the crisis is resolved. People living 20km around the plant have been evacuated.

Kalam who asked students to dream, work hard and persevere to achieve the goal, answered a series of questions that were thrown at him.

Answering a question on corruption Kalam said: “Corruption is an evil that has to be eradicated and is the biggest challenge India is facing. I would advise each and every child to go back home and tell your parents not to be corrupt.”