The ongoing anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project protest will be taken up at the national level with more vigour, former member of ‘Team Anna’ Arvind Kejriwal, said on Wednesday.
Mr. Kejriwal, who came to Idinthakarai on Tuesday night to express solidarity with the ongoing protest, told reporters here that he was fully supporting the protest being led by anti-KKNPP struggle committee convener S.P. Udayakumar, who should not surrender to the police.
‘India Against Corruption’ would wholeheartedly endorse his stance in this agitation and take it to the national level. He warned that there would be disastrous consequences if the KKNPP reactor was allowed to attain criticality without ensuring adequate water source. There should be an open debate on the KKNPP by involving experts from the government and protestors’ side so that the public understood the facts pertaining to nuclear power programmes.
The United Progressive Alliance government was trying to hastily take the KKNPP reactor to criticality even as several safety concerns remained unanswered, he said.
He visited a few houses at Tsunami Colony which were allegedly damaged by the police after the Monday clash. Mr. Kejriwal claimed he wanted to file a police complaint in this connection, and came to the Kudankulam police station in the afternoon, but could not do so as there was no senior police official present.
Speaking to reporters in front of the police station, Mr. Kejriwal alleged that the police had ransacked a few houses and arrested even a 16-year-old boy from Vairaavikinaru village after the protest. “We’re not against development as we need power and other better infrastructure. But you cannot bulldoze the people in the name of development. The police should show their loyalty only to the nation and not to the government,” said Mr. Kejriwal.
Arundhati Roy expresses solidarity
Writer Arundhati Roy on Wednesday expressed solidarity with villagers of Idinthakarai who are resisting the loading of fuel in the nuclear reactor at Kudankulam.
In a statement, she said when the government had shown itself incapable of even disposal of garbage, could not be expected to know how to deal with nuclear waste. Questioning whether nuclear reactors in the country were safe, she said no amount of compensation could ever right a nuclear disaster.
“I do believe what is being done in Kudankulam in the name of development is a crime.”
Keywords: Kudankulam nuclear project, anti-Kudankulam protest, nuclear safety, anti-KKNPP protests, violent clashes, Udayakumar surrender, Arvind Kejriwal
Arundhati Roy is right
I totally agree with Writer Arundhati Roy's statement.
Arundhati Roy & Mr. Kejriwal. should Not poke their nose on which they
do not have expertise..
Sh Kejriwalji go back! you will not get votes. Secondly the money to
the NGO coffers will go to the NGOs in South from US. So as the
Americans say clam uo.
Tamil Nadu CM initially was with the demand of the protesters and stopped the work by writing to PM. She herself formed a committee of experts who gave the verdict that the plant is safe. Protesterswent to the High Court which analysed all aspects of safety. Eminent Scientist like Dr. Kalam released a detailed write up on the safety of the plant. None of these convinced Udayakumar and his group, because their motive is altogether different. The only mistake Jayalalitha committed was not to crush Udayakumar and his associates in the initial stages itself. Now the opportunists like Kejriwal, Medha Patkar, Vaiko, Ramdoss, Thirmavalavan and others who are always against development are entering the ring.Better sense should prevail to the people and correctly understand these anti development people and allow the plant to be commissioned and mitigate the power shortage in Tamil Nadu
The protest at Kudamkulam is an an encouragment for thousands of local people who are facing the threat of displacement, loss of livelihood, degradation of ecology due the potential radiation, nuclear waste etc....in other parts of the country, like Chutka (Madhya Pradesh) & Jethapur (maharashtra). The anti corruption drama staged in New Delhi and anti nuclear protest in Kudamkulam is two different types of protests. For the first, the media is playing musical instruments and became a mockery to all popular protest. The other has resembalamce of nonviolent struggle that we inherited from our our history. The protest against KKNP has picked up its momentem through the selfless commitment of thousands of people. If the anti- corruption team has any interest in the issues concerning the life andn livelihood of people, they have to look into the burning issues of rural and tribal peole who are the real victims of the development programme, the centres of corruption.
@Angela, Udayakumar had tried to start an anti nuke movement in Kudankulam before Fukushima happened. He was thrashed and thrown out of the village. It is a mistake to consider both the PMANE and the villagers as one and the same. PMANE are hard core anti nuclear fanatics. They even say that the unsafe nuclear reactor should be turned into a safe thermal power plant! The villagers are simple folks whose fear and ignorance have been taken advantage of by this group. The tsunami of 2004 along with the incident in Fukushima have been cleverly used by the PMANE to whip up a fear frenzy in the villages.
And it is really sad that someone like Mr. Kejriwal who took part in a progressive movement against corruption to take part in a movement that will take us back to the stone age. He stab=nds to lose the support of the middle class.
I am wondering the unexpected appearance of Team Anna anti corruption team member Khejariwal at KKNP protest site. Anti corruption is now a days a drama at Ramlila maidan, if Babaramdev appears there will be more added masala for the TV channels to celbrate it. As a reader and seriously looking into the nonviolent protest and the hoensty of persons like S P Udaykumar and thousands of local residents, and hope they will keep distance from anti corruption drama team.
What Fukushima and Chernobyl, for that matter three-mile island in US
have proved is, that Nuclear power plants are safer. How many coal
miners die every year ? That would be more than the total number of
people died due to nuclear melt-down at a power plant. The current 5th
generation Nuclear power plants are improved up on lot things,
remember fukushima is plant designed in 70s.
An energy deficit nation like India does not have many choices, yes,
we have Solar and Wind, but they do not make any dent with the current
commercial versions. We have the worst kind of coal. Nuclear should be
part of the portfolio. India needs power now, and if it does not
improve up on the power usage its time to give up on the current
decade.
Arvind Kejriwal, is diluting his focus. Japan has 77 nuclear plants and one fukushima cant undermine eveything. A country which is so much prone to various natural disasters like Japan couldnt even have built multi storey buildings leave alone nuclear plants if it's citizens were fearing like this. I am a native of the region and i hope good sense prevails amongst the residents
Mr. Kejriwal has the full authority to join hands with the protesters
for the genuine reason as an activist. If the plant is commissioning
near to your home, you cannot say about the so called development, only
can worry about safety of your children.
@Menon Thottasseri Unfortunately the representatives of the protestors were not
given answers to questions pertaining to the safety measures and were just waved off with the mantra "Safe" a word which the nuclear industry uses as a magic wand to ward off any inquiry. Now we find out why. Two Indian English channels last night had a discussion and the former AERB chief has informed the pubic that the 17 safety recommendations of the government appointed new AERB have been totally side stepped (pertaining to safety requirements post Fuskushima) and NOT at all implemented and the fuel loading was going to start anyway!. The reason? It would take another 12 months to put those safety mechanisms (absolutely required for a inherently dangerous project of 1000MW capacity) The main obstacle to the safe running of this plant is the dire shortage of fresh water in this region (essentially a permanent drought zone). Sea water cannot be used inside a hot reactor as the salt will corrode the unit
When the protest against the Kudankulam was in its peak in last year,
social activists like Medha Patkar who had joined the bandwagon had
even commented negatively on the free land and assistance given by the
state government for a project that will meet the energy demands for
the next century. Concurrently adversaries of Jayalalithaa government
intensified their antipathy to the project. In fact the comments of
Medha Patkar further stepped up the apprehension of the local
residents while they were already frightened on hearing a lot on the
Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima catastrophes. Though the
State government had initially urged the central government to halt
the project until the apprehensions of the local people in the
immediate vicinity were allayed, it had constituted an experts
committee wherein representatives of the protesters too were given
berth.
I am loosing whatever good opinion having on Mr.Arvind Kejriwal who is an Anna team member on Anti corruption.First he diluted the anti corruption by announcing to start a political party. Now he joined the forces against Govt. on anti Nuclear energy. If we are doubting every where on safety, it is not possible to develop any thing. People do not want even coal based thermal power stations on the environmental safety but want free power. When the coal is exhausted in the next 70 to 100 years, how the people get electricity? When the engineers and scientists work in Nuclear Power stations, they not only think about the Nuclear energy but also safety of the environment including themselves.
I can understand the politician with half-baked knowledge protesting the nuclear power plant for their respective political gains, same was not expected from a learned and educated person like Kejriwal.
Mr.Kejriwal must limit his interference only till anti-corruption protest against political parties. Nuclear science must be handled by Nuclear scientist not anybody else. People without knowledge in the field of Nuclear power station, political parties, and other non-entities must not interfere in the field which is not relevant to them. People must believe in science and in future rather than external agents or politically influenced orators.
Power is for people and by the people.
It is unfortunate that the government and its intelligence apparatus
failed to read the designs of the well networked protesters.A timely
and well planned and coordinated action would certainly have prevented
loss of life and property and landed in this messy situation.At least
now the government machinery should realise how formidable and well
oiled is the PMANE.A lesson to be learnt from this episode is that the
agitators do not respect the court ruling nor would heed the
assurances of the experts.Their minds are conditioned and are captives
in the hands of protest organisers.It is quite clear that no force on
earth can convince these scapegoats.Another lesson for the political
class is that politicisation of economic projects would only affect
economic development.Though the authorities are duty bound to dispel
the legitimate fears of the people tthey should not allow themselves
to become prisoners of their own making.
I wish our Political leaders could learn from the scene, the bonding
these people have for one who stands for their genuine rights & not just
for Vote Bank Politics.
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