JODHPUR, Dec. 19 -- The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has revealed serious deficiencies in storage and disposal of radioactive waste at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project's cobalt facility. According to the report, despite clear safety guidelines in place since 1998, the quantity of highly radioactive material has been steadily increasing. In its latest report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the CAG cited an inspection by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board in November 2022, which found that a large amount of radioactive waste was being accumulated in the storage pool at the Rajasthan reactor site. "As per Section 2.2.9 of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board Safety Guidelines (August 1998), the plant management shall arrange for proper collection, storage, handling and disposal of the wastes generated in the plant as per approved procedures. In its inspection report of November 2022, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board pointed out the storage of a large amount of highly radioactive waste in the storage pool of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project Cobalt Facility at the Rajasthan reactor site," the report said. In response, the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project Cobalt Facility stated in January 2023 that all highly radioactive waste generated at the facility is disposed of at the Centralised Waste Management Facility at the Rajasthan reactor site. It added, due to the non-availability of a crane at the Centralised Waste Management Facility, the waste could not be disposed of on time and would be cleared once conditions became favourable. The audit observed that even though the issue of radioactive waste storage in the pool was pointed out by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board in November 2022, the total accumulated quantity of radioactive waste increased to 231 units by March 2025, from 180 units in November 2022. The report further said, "The fact remains that despite the accumulation of a huge quantity of radioactive waste, it was still lying in the stores of the Regional Centre, Kota, till September 2024, despite guidelines in this regard being in place since 1998."...