Those opposing the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) are taking an extreme position, regretted M.R. Srinivasan, Member, Expert Panel on the Project constituted by the State Government.
In an exclusive interview to The Hindu here on Tuesday, he opined that their stand was unreasonable. Adverting to the move of the anti-KKNPP struggle committee to rope in fishermen and organize a strike on March 15, he lamented, “It is unfortunate that innocent fishermen are being misled”.
One should be on guard against attempts to rouse the passion of the people and designs of certain sections of the society to make India abandon its nuclear energy facilities. Such fringe movements are all over the World.
Stating that the public sympathy which was witnessed during the early days of the protest was wearing off on account of the acute power shortage, he said that both the expert group of the centre and the expert panel of the State have gone into all aspects vis a vis safety of the KKNPP. The reactor is of an advanced design with several safety features.
Averring that a Fukushima like situation is unlikely to occur at Kudankulam, he said that the latest safety features have been incorporated.
When asked to elaborate, Dr. Srinivasan said that the Fukushima Nuclear Plant had some inherent design weakness. As early as 2001 or 2002 a warning vis a vis threat to the reactor from Tsunami had been conveyed and the need to strengthen safety measures stressed by the Nuclear community.
Pointing out that the total number of nuclear reactors in the World now was 340, he said that many of them are located in coastal areas. There have not been any adverse effects on fishing activities on account of them. Stating that 20 reactors are in operation in India, he said that the oldest was in Tarapore which had come into being 42 years ago. A special feature of the Kalpakkam reactor was that it was equipped with a fish diverter. Observations of Atomic Energy scientists showed that fishermen faced no problems from both Tarapore and Kalpakkam.
Welcoming the views being expressed by various political parties on the KKNPP, he said that for the past several decades successive governments in Tamil Nadu have extended their cooperation to the Centre in matters relating to Nuclear energy.
In the use of power from KKNPP Tamil Nadu will always have a larger claim. While one reactor can be commissioned now, one more can be put into operation next year. There is enough space to put up four more.
Dr. Srinivasan added that power interruptions have always been minimum in Tamil Nadu. The present crisis should not be allowed to worsen. Regrettably even in a place like the Nilgiris which has always taken power for granted, there are now power cuts, power holidays etc.
When asked about the opposition to his inclusion in the expert panel expressed by the anti-KKNPP struggle committee, he said that their fears of bias are unfounded.
Efforts should be made through outreach programmes to enhance awareness about the benefits of scientific thinking. It will help shield the people from superstition.
On the report submitted by the Panel to the government, he said that it is up to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to take a decision.
@Prasanth, Uneducated people too have common sense. when they see in front of their eyes how superior country people are suffering due to a PLANT that is similar to a PLANT in their backyard why don't they protest to prevent something danger to their life, it is their fundamental right.
We don't want any technical answer from the scientists. One thing what we want to know is "How much Radioactive waste will be generated?" & how are they going to safeguard for 1000+ years untill the waste is harmless. Till now, nobody has answered this question.
Hello commenters, before supporting the KKNP, think about my question also.
@Eric
The fisherfolk in the regions are mostly uneducated people. The scientists cannot explain the complicated technical safety features in a simple enough language for them to understand. The fears should be allayed by telling the people that if it was sucha dangerous plant, how would the scientists work in them?
Similar strategy was followed in Kalpakkam - The scientists would just say "I have been working in the reactr complex for twenty years. Look at me. Do i have any problem. So you will also not be affected" and so on.
The leaders of these movements however are persisting with highly technical questions which they are parading as fisherfolks concerns. There is no way fishermen can ask about reprocessing and fuel cycle. The concern about other forces fuelling the protest is not without evidence.
The so called leaders of this movement should be arrested and then the government should address the peoples fears.
"A Fukushima like situation is unlikely to occur at Kudankulam", so not impossible. People are worried about that 'unlikely' yet possible occurrence, and its very long term consequences. Instead of reassuring the people, the spokesman is talking to the media, great! I agree with TN position, i.e., nuclear reactors are a pragmatic necessity of the moment, however, the people are worried with good reason as Thiru Srinivasan himself admits unintentionally. What steps have been taken to prevent such an incident? What are the contingency plans in case of such an incident? Is it possible to evacuate the nearby radius like the Japanese did? Do we have the infrastructure to contain such an accident, and stop it spreading? What about the nuclear liability bill, which has not been explained properly? Instead of calling them "MISLED", perhaps he should be allaying their fears instead. I support nuclear power, I just do not know what efforts have been taken to make this plant safe.
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