Thiruvananthapuram, May 6 (IANS): Former Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan Monday termed as unfortunate the sanction accorded by the apex court to operationalise the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu.

"It is common knowledge that the plant's security aspects are not fool-proof and there's a general fear on this aspect. The people there are on a protest with just one demand that they should be safe," the veteran Communist leader said in a statement.

His remarks came within hours of the apex court disposing of a public suit seeking to halt the commissioning of the nuclear power plant at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district, around 650 km from Chennai.

"Scientists recently had expressed grave concern about the inferior quality of spare parts that were used in the plant. The fears of the people living in and around the plant area are genuine and it's unfortunate that the (Supreme Court) nod has come," stated Achuthanandan.

Incidentally, Achuthanandan in October 2012 defied a party directive and made an attempt to visit the group of protesters who were up in arms against the plant.