New BARC chief assumes charge

By Arunkumar Bhatt

MUMBAI, APRIL 3. Mr. B. Bhattacharjee, the scientist-engineer who led the effort to develop uranium enrichment technology and put India among the select band of countries having this capacity, took over today as the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) here.

Mr. Bhattacharjee who was director of Chemical Engineering and Technology Group of the BARC, succeeds Dr. Anil Kakodkar who became the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) few months ago. Mr. Bhattacharjee is now also a member of the AEC.

Mr. Bhattacharjee and his team developed the High- Speed Rotor (HSR) technology, better known as the centrifugal technology, required for producing ``strategic materials for the country''.

They designed and produced materials, instruments, components and equipment and made the technology available in India free from any external control.

Their work had begun at the grassroots level and encompassed all the engineering disciplines and material science. They developed a host of new technologies and materials not available in the country.

Mr. Bhattachargee headed a little known facility, Rare Materials Project, at Mysore which produced weapons grade fissile material, according to Atomic Energy sources.

The new director of BARC was the key person behind the successful implementation of the project, now known as Uranium Corporation of India, at Jaduguda in Bihar.

This is the only uranium mill in the country and it supplies the entire uranium need of the Indian nuclear power programme.

Mr. Bhattacharjee, who was awarded `Padma Shri' by the President, was also entrusted with the responsibility of executing two pioneer projects - desalination project coupled to nuclear power plant and special materials project. He is a member of various professional bodies and a fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering.

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