Sekhar Basu takes charge as Barc director

New Delhi: Sekhar Basu, who played a key role in the development of atomic reactor for India’s indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant, today took charge as director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc). An alumnus of the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (VJTI), the 59-year-old Basu was also the project director of the Plutonium Recycling Project at Kalpakkam, which built the country’s first indigenous Pressurised Water Reactor which is powered by enriched uranium.[caption id=“attachment_349872” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=" Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Director, Sekhar Basu. Image courtesy Barc"]  [/caption] Basu succeeds RK Sinha, who has been elevated as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and secretary, Department of Atomic Energy last month. He took charge as Barc director at a function in Mumbai. Basu said he would strive hard towards the successful completion of major programmes in the area of nuclear power and applications of radiation technology in the areas of food, health and industry apart from strategic areas. He said he will also give priority to research in basic and engineering sciences. Basu joined Barc Training School in 1974 and as part of the Reactor Engineering Division was instrumental in completion of development of fuel for Boiling Water Reactors. He was shifted to Kalpakkam in 1988 and was responsible for commissioning of land based nuclear submarine propulsion plant. Subsequently, Basu was assigned the responsibility of Nuclear Recycle Programme and constructed reprocessing and waste management plants at Tarapur and Kalpakkam. Recently, he has also been involved in Fusion Reactor Programme—International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor—being built in France. PTI