Mumbai: In a significant move, a nuclear source that has been housed in the basement of a prominent heritage campus in south Mumbai since the 1980s is set to be relocated. The Institute of Science had plans for the redevelopment of an ageing single-storey structure and was gearing up to expand vertically.However, it was highlighted by veterans that the nuclear source within the campus, consisting of Californium-252 and Plutonium Beryllium, needed to be safely moved before any such plans proceeded. The relocation of these nuclear materials will mark a significant milestone in the institutes history, known for its distinguished nuclear chemistry laboratory.Distinguished Laboratory and its DeclineEstablished in 1962 under the leadership of renowned scientist Professor B C Haldar, the laboratory later evolved into a full-fledged department in 1975. Although it made remarkable strides in research, it eventually faced a decline due to insufficient funding and limited attention from the state government.Running with less than half of its staff capacity, the institute saw a glimmer of hope when corporate support poured in from K C Mahindra Education Trust, which contributed Rs 3.25 lakh to establish a chair professor during the institutes diamond jubilee.However, after the graduation of the last PhD student, David Manjula, in 2003, the laboratory was left dormant with only the nuclear source remaining.Consequently, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has been contacted to oversee its removal. The nuclear source has already completed 14 half-lives.A New Beginning and a Call for PreservationRajanish Kamat, Vice-Chancellor of Dr Homi Bhabha State University, a cluster university that includes the Institute of Science, shared, We have not entered this premises. But it is a very old structure and is dilapidated now. We have written to BARC authorities to send their experts to remove this nuclear source. Once safely out, we plan to grow vertically after necessary permissions are received and expand our research in high-end areas that are at the heart of societal applications.The legacy of the institute remains significant, with nuclear chemistry offering immense potential. The institutes decline started when the state government excluded research from the calculation of teachers workload for salary purposes. As an institution where 75% of activities revolved around research and 25% on classroom teaching, this policy change dealt a severe blow. A lack of clear government policies further exacerbated the decline. Many remember the institutes days of glory when it was a hub of research and activity.The Institute of Science, like its neighbour Elphinstone College, has a storied history, including being one of the few labs in the world that analysed moon rock samples in the early 1970s.However, the laboratory of the nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry departments, which once handled lunar samples, has since fallen into disuse with no remaining faculty.Narendra Thakkar, former head of the chemistry and environmental science departments, told TOI, The institute was for long like a terminally ill patient now. In the last few decades, all lines of nourishment and oxygen were choked because of the lack of a clear policy of the state government.Recalling the institutes heyday, many remember it as a place where the lights never went off and a prolific producer of research papers in India.As this significant relocation progresses, the institute may be poised for a new chapter in its long and illustrious history.
