Inter‑State Nuclear Accident Coordination Protocol 2024

The Inter‑State Nuclear Accident Coordination Protocol 2024 is a legally binding compact among the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu that harmonises their emergency‑response architecture for nuclear incidents. Unique in Indian federal practice, the protocol obliges participating states to pool surveillance data, conduct joint evacuation drills, and mobilise specialised radiological resources under a single command structure, thereby closing gaps that previously existed between state‑level disaster agencies and the central nuclear regulator.

Historical Background

The protocol traces its lineage to the Disaster Management Act 2005, which empowered states to formulate their own disaster‑management plans but left nuclear emergencies largely to the central Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). A series of high‑profile incidents—most notably the 2011 Fukushima disaster and the 2022 radiological release at the Kalpakkam plant—prompted Indian policymakers to reassess inter‑governmental coordination. In February 2023, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) convened a task force comprising the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and senior officials from the four states. The task force’s final report, “Integrated Nuclear Safety Framework,” recommended a statutory inter‑state protocol, which was subsequently drafted and presented to the Chief Ministers in December 2023.

Mechanism and Institutional Framework

Operationally, the protocol establishes a Joint Nuclear Emergency Operations Centre (JNEOC) located in Pune, co‑led by the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) of Maharashtra and Gujarat and overseen by a rotating chair from the participating states. Real‑time radiation monitoring feeds into the Integrated Disaster Management System (IDMS), a cloud‑based platform already used for flood and cyclone alerts. The protocol mandates that each state maintain a stockpile of at least 5,000 radiological decontamination kits, calibrated to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standard “Category II” specifications. Funding for these kits is sourced from a dedicated 2024‑2029 inter‑state grant, amounting to ₹ 150 crore per state, approved by the Finance Ministers of the four states.

Key Provisions

• •Article 3.1 obliges states to share radiation data within 15 minutes of detection, using the IDMS interface.
• •Article 4.2 requires quarterly joint evacuation drills, with a minimum participation of 10 % of the local population in the affected zone.
• •Article 5.5 creates a unified command hierarchy, granting the JNEOC authority to issue evacuation orders that supersede individual state directives.
• •Article 6.1 stipulates a 48‑hour window for the mobilisation of a “Rapid Radiological Response Team” (RRRT) comprising 120 specialists drawn from the DAE’s Central Radiological Protection Division.
• •Article 7.3 mandates annual reporting to the NDMA, which in turn forwards a consolidated assessment to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).

These provisions are anchored in existing statutes: the Atomic Energy Act 1962 (Section 13), the Nuclear Safety Rules 2016 (Rule 9), and the Disaster Management Act 2005 (Section 12).

Implementation and Recent Exercises

The protocol’s first large‑scale test occurred on 15 September 2024, when Maharashtra and Gujarat orchestrated a coordinated mock evacuation of 150,000 residents surrounding the Tarapur Atomic Power Station. The exercise, overseen by Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Bhupendrabhai Patel, demonstrated the JNEOC’s ability to issue a unified “Phase II” evacuation order within eight minutes of a simulated radiation spike. Post‑exercise analysis highlighted a 22 % reduction in communication latency compared with the 2022 Kalpakkam drill, attributing the improvement to the IDMS’s upgraded API. Subsequent quarterly drills in Karnataka (January 2025) and Tamil Nadu (April 2025) have incorporated drone‑based radiation mapping, further expanding the protocol’s technological toolkit.

Significance and Outlook

By institutionalising a shared command and resource pool, the Inter‑State Nuclear Accident Coordination Protocol 2024 mitigates the “jurisdictional fragmentation” that historically hampered India’s nuclear emergency response. The protocol also aligns India with IAEA Recommendation R‑4, which advocates for cross‑border cooperation in radiological risk management. Analysts note that the protocol’s success could serve as a template for other federal systems grappling with high‑risk infrastructure, such as chemical plants and offshore oil rigs. Looking ahead, the NDMA plans to review the protocol’s efficacy in 2026, with a view to extending participation to additional states and integrating artificial‑intelligence‑driven predictive analytics into the IDMS.