Welcoming the Centre's move to set up an independent atomic regulator, India's nuclear establishment

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has said there should be no comprise on the vast technical and scientific support required for maintaining highest safety levels.

The Government will introduce a Bill in the monsoon session of Parliament to set up the new body, which will replace the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

"It is a good step as it would not only strengthen the legal position of the regulatory body, but also satisfy public perception in the aftermath of Fukushima crisis and protests over the proposed nuclear plant in Jaitapur," S P Sukhatme, a former Chairman of AERB, told PTI.

"There was never any challenge to the functional and technical independence of AERB, but its legal position was weak as the Board was created under the Atomic Energy Act through a Gazette Notification in 1983," he pointed out.

There should be no compromise on functional and technical independence in relation to enjoying a country-wide expert assistance from organisations of repute like BARC, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), IITs and others to ensure high standard of safety at nuclear installations, he said.

"We should not compromise on the pooling of best brains and the vast technical manpower available," Sukhatme, who is Professor Emeritus, IIT-Bombay, said.