The reason for this is that energy security can be attempted from other sources like hydel and thermal. Nuclear programs are prone to risk as we have seen in some very high profile accidents around the world like Chernobyl in Russia and recently in Japan after the earthquake when the largest nuclear power plant was found to have leaked some of its radioactive waste.
Had these accidents occurred in India, the casualties would have been ten-fold with concurrent issues of nuclear pollution of the land at the site of the accident. Thus it is better to limit our nuclear facilities to the scale and ability of our indigenous program rather than expand it at a hectic pace and at a high cost upon the prompting of the USA. We all know that hydel energy is the cheapest while nuclear energy is the costliest and therefore it is not understood firstly, the insistence on nuclear energy and secondly, for it to come from the US. The other source for energy is thermal generation from our coal reserves. Though our coal has some of the largest ash content, it is time that we developed the technology to use our own reserves and build less polluting thermal power plants.
If by 2025 we find that our energy needs are much more after we have exhausted the hydel and thermal route then we could examine nuclear.
 There is no need to fall into the arms of the US now in the
format of the 123 Treaty and commit ourselves to perpetual bondage both in technology and foreign policy and make them richer from our scarce resources. It is best therefore that Manmohan Singh and the Congress back down on their plan to continue with the 123 Treaty.
--Sreenivas Kamat
Alto Betim, Bardez
Goa 403 521.