Santokh Singh Sachdev

Description

Santokh Singh Sachdev, a nuclear scientist, an engineer and a devout Sikh, was born on 2nd April 1940 in Amritsar, Punjab. His father S. Kirpal Singh was a prominent Sikh being the president of Chief Khalsa Diwan, a historic organization of about 100 years old. He was also a freedom fighter and a former Member of Parliament. S. Sachdev had a brilliant academic career right from junior classes. He was awarded Gold Medal by Khalsa College Amritsar for “Best Sikh Student Pass in Intermediate Exam.” He did his Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh in 1961. Immediately after passing Engineering Degree he was selected by Department of Atomic Energy and he did post graduate course in Nuclear Engineering from (AEET), renamed subsequently as Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Mumbai.
He started his career with the construction of India’s first 2 power reactors which were constructed with American help at Tarapur in Maharashtra. These were followed by two reactors with Canadian help at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan. Due to Atomic explosion by India in 1974, foreign countries stopped all collaboration, supplies and help in nuclear field. Unfinished reactor and all subsequent reactors were built indigenously. This required lot of effort to develop Indian industry to make nuclear equipment, components and instruments. Design of nuclear power plants had to meet the latest quality and safety standards of international agencies and required lot of modifications from time to time. Beside these four nuclear power plants he constructed eight more nuclear power plants, two each in U.P. Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. He served Department of Atomic Energy for 39 years. During this period he constructed 12 Nuclear Power Reactors and did preliminary work for four more nuclear power plants. He retired in 2000 as Project Director of Tarapur Atomic Power Project. These reactors of 540 MWe are the largest size indigenous operating Reactors so far. Department of Atomic Energy takes care of the welfare of population living in surrounding areas. As head of the Units he took care that they get preference for employment and also provide help in areas such as health, up distribution of seeds developed by Atomic Energy and demonstrating procedures of their usage etc. After his retirement he worked with Punjab State Electricity Board as Advisor (Nuclear) for 1 ½ years. He is life member of Indian Nuclear Society.