Kudankulam Project: Two Memorandums to Be Given to PM


Chennai, Oct 6 (IANS): Two memorandums, reflecting the divergent views of the Tamil Nadu government and the anti-nuclear power activists, on the upcoming Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project are expected to be presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday, an activist said.

"The state government wants the project to be suspended till fears about the project are allayed while we want the project to be scrapped," People's Rights Movement co-ordinator S. Sivasubramanian told IANS.

A delegation comprising state officials and anti-nuclear power activists, led by state Finance Minister O. Pannerselvam, is slated to meet Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

"As things stand now, we will submit our memorandum demanding scrapping of the power project to the prime minister and the state government will submit its own. However, if there is any change of stand by the state government, then there will be only one memorandum to the prime minister," Sivasubramanian said.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is building two 1,000 MW capacity nuclear power reactors with Russian technology and equipment in Kudankulam in Tirunelvelli district around 650 km from Chennai. The first unit is expected to go on stream this December.

Opposing the nuclear power plant, 125 people went on an indefinite fast last month and several thousands visited the protest site at Idinthakari near Kudankulam.

Members of the anti-KNPP movement met the state government officials here Thursday.

"The state government officials told us that the government will have to take a stand which is in line with the cabinet resolution passed on the Kudankulam power project," Sivasubramanian said.

On Sep 22, the Tamil Nadu government formally asked Singh and the central government to halt work at the upcoming power project till the local fears over the reactor's safety were allayed.

The state cabinet passed a resolution to this effect.

Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa initially felt the safety features, as explained to her by NPCIL officials, were adequate and requested the protesters to call off their fast.

However, as the people were staunchly opposed to the project, she wrote to the prime minister urging him to stop the construction work till the people's fears over the project were cleared.

  

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Comment on this article

  • Sri Aiyer Raju Sreenivasan, Bengaluru

    Thu, Oct 06 2011

    It is not that the work on the Kudankulam nuclear power station started only today! After so many years and after so many hundreds of crores spent on it, these jokers have woken up today to protest against the so-called dangers posed by nuclear power. What were they doing all these years? They had their tail tucked firmly in-between their legs because Mr. Karunanidhi was in power. They knew the consequences of wagging their tail and the "reward" they would receive from Mr. Azhagiri. Power generation by any means excepting Hydro-electric, windmill and solar ones, are hazardous for the environment. Perhaps the so-called leaders involved in this stir (who probably have received their fees from vested interests for carrying out this show of hooliganism) they should demonstrate against Neyveli Lignite Power corporation which pollutes the atmosphere and which pumps out so many million gallons of precious water everyday for the past so many decades! On the one hand you don't like powercuts, you want free power for farmers, but you do not like nuclear power generation, it definitely means there is something fishy out there. Power generation through coal is as much dangerous. Do we have the guts to stop power generation by any means and go back to the bullock cart age? What destruction coal power does over many decades, nuclear power (if and when it causes destruction) does it in one stroke! I would prefer instant death to slow poisoning.

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