The Government should take steps to find the plutonium nuclear battery pack lost near Nanda Devi peak in 1965 due to the risk of nuclear radiation from the device.
In a statement released to the media, Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj said that following the Chinese aggression in 1962, India and the American CIA decided to install a nuclear device at the Nanda Devi peak to spy on China.
An eight member team began the expedition to install this device on October 20 1965. The team had reached camp four but faced a storm there due to which the team tied the nuclear battery pack to a cliff and abandoned the expedition planning to undertake it in May 1966.
However, when the team reached camp four in 1966, it did not find the nuclear battery pack. The device which contains Plutonium 238 and 239 is posing the threat of nuclear radiation. Maharaj States that considering the pace at which glaciers are receding, it is important to check whether this increased pace of melting is directly or indirectly related to the lost nuclear device. Demanding that the Government facilitate a search for this lost device, the Garhwal MP has said that scientists and experts should inquire into the matter.