Tuesday, May 4, 2004
India initiates Arctic science programme
Satyen Mohapatra
New Delhi, May 4
India is planning to visit the Arctic region for the first time to carry out scientific experiments. Indian scientists have already conducted several experiments during the last 20 years of research in the Antarctica.
H.K. Gupta, secretary, Department of Ocean Development, told Hindustan Times that the National Centre for Antarctica and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa is planning to initiate observations at the Arctic.
"We are working in collaboration with Norway to set up a necessary observation facility in the Arctic and possibly a station there in the future," Gupta said.
"Observations in the Arctic will give us a view on several global parameters, the understanding of which is important to study global climate change," he added.
Dr P.C. Pandey, director, NCAOR, said, "The Arctic region is geopolitically important. India is a signatory of the 1922 Salzburg Treaty, which permits us to carry out research in the Arctic. So we have now initiated the Arctic science programme."
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2004.