‘Experts will address safety concerns'
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday promised to set up an expert group to address the “legitimate concerns” of those protesting the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, but he has also clearly indicated that the project would go forward.
Dr. Singh, who met a multi-party delegation from Tamil Nadu as well as activists and citizen representatives, assured them that “the government will not compromise on safety in the pursuit of our nuclear energy programme.”
He also clarified that the plant was not yet operationalised and no nuclear processes had begun.
However, in an earlier letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, responding to her letter dated September 19, Dr. Singh made it clear that the project would ultimately start generating nuclear power.
“Nuclear energy is one option to enhance our energy security. The Central government will ensure that this is pursued with full regard to the safety, livelihood and security of the people,” he said. “I count on your support in ensuring the timely implementation of the Kudankulam Project.”
Thousands of fishermen and other residents of the area around Kudankulam have been agitating against the plant for months, raising concerns about safety, health risks and the impact on fishing.
After a 12-day fast by protesters last month, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet passed a resolution urging the Centre to halt work on the project until the fears of the local population were allayed.
Noting that “understandable concerns” have been expressed about nuclear safety in the wake of the disaster at Japan's Fukushima plant following an earthquake and tsunami, the Prime Minister said the Centre ordered technical reviews of the safety systems of all Indian nuclear plants, including Kudankulam. All recommendations were being implemented, he added.
Keywords: Kudankulam project, Nuclear safety
In Koodankulam issues all politician spread wrong information.In current situation everyone ask one question "Why they are opposing to the nuclear plant yet".But i would like to convey one information to all. In beginning stage itself they are opposing the nuclear plant. But that time the Strike didn't reach to all over TamilNadu.Today everyone says it is very safe and build by high level technology.All scientist told Don't compare with Japan's nuclear plant due to they using old technology. But still they didn't say what are the technology used by Japan's scientist and why the plant comes to end. MANY OF THE PEOPLE SAY SOMEBODY IS BEHIND THE STRIKE. ITS NOT CORRECT. BECAUSE THEY ARE STRUGGLE FOR THEIR LIFE NOT FOR ANYTHING. SO NEED TO HELP THEM BUT DON'T INSULT THEIR STRIKE.
Why don't govt invest billions of dollars in Solar, wind and other safe forms of Energy? Everyday small and big nuclear accidents are happening in nuclear power stations all over world but governments don't leak these matters to public because it is multi trillion dollar corporate industry. Most of govt are puppets in the hands of corporations.
Can anybody takes the responsibility to understand the nuclear science! Everybody know that a car/bus can get burn but all will sit in it. Similarly, one need to understand nuke energy also.
i agree with devs view. Instead of spending crore and crore of money in developing nuclear plant. It is good to spend money on research activity in solar and wind form of energy and end of all people need to have good knowledge to limit power consumption and save energy.and i do recommend imposing heavy bill or tax on the person who use more energy.
I disagree with Mr.Devs' views. Solar power has many cons and It is not an alternative to nuclear power. Power demand needs continuous production of electricity and obviously solar power cannot be generated during night, rainy days etc. Also efficiency of solar panels are not more than 30%, but other form of energy generation has more than 90% efficiency. Nuclear power generation is cleaner than other forms of energy generation
I can acknowledge Mr.Dev's comment partly, being many are not aware of the west's conspiracy towards innovative technologies. Nobody can guess how much oil reserves are there, except those who rule it. Similarly, USA itself is an incorporate, rather a nation, being ruled by corporates. Be it the humble bread or the high end gadgets. The solar energy sure can be an alternative, but when oil lobby rules, who bothers. India cant afford to waste on experiments and outdated technolgies.
Nuclear option is here to stay, though its risky. People have to be made aware of its technology. Its needless to have the opinion of poeple who live around, when it comes of nation's growth and security. When people surrounding Kudankulam are ready to hear nonsense stories from NGO's, why cant they listen to reality as well.
There is no way the powerful US Nuclear lobby would allow the closure of Koodankulam. Manmohan Singh is not strong enough to stand up against the US. When A.R.Rahman was feted in NDTV Manmohan Singh, unbecoming for a PM, made the famous statement "when I heard Rahman in the White House, you cannot imagine the sense of joy and achievement...,". No Chinese or French President would have made such a statement. The Prime Minister should not make statements like that. Speaks poorly of India. A.R.Rahman is a brilliant musician but the 'white house' statement speaks of inferiority complex. I was shocked to see an Indian PM speaking in such a servile manner. Given this there is no way Manmohan Singh would stand up against the US government. Russian technology is known to be inferior and the designs are all pre-Fukushima. Scientists are also human beings. Their assurances cannot be trusted.
Finally, Manmohan takes a good stand. We cant live with power cuts any more.
I can read some comments above.I have one question can any of these persons give an alternative to the nuclear energy.Already the project is in its final stage and people's money crores of rupees spend on this at this stage this protection with the help of some political pockets is not fare.We all know that already tamilnadu is under shortage on power. Even city areas dont have voltage in this situation state government can play an important role than central govt.They have to sort out the genuine concerns od the public and give way to this project functional as soon as possible with all certified safety measures.Ongoing agitation is drawing INDIA to pull back on its growth .So please take corrective decision by central and state ministries and officials.
Those who blindly support nuclear power generation as 'the' means to satisfy the electrical power requirements of the state ignore the following: It is only those who live in close proximity to Kudankulam have the right to raise their concern of having such an installation in their backyard. Accute shortage of habitable land space, either in the state or the country as a whole, to relocate the affected poputaion in the event of a 'disaater'. Forcing this down the throat of those living in the vicinity - no public hearing was conducted to determine the opinion of the local population prior to this facility was planned to be built. Old technology - nuclear power generation is not the new world technology. Even the US sees solar valley, not silicon valley, as the driver of the future of the US economy. Why does not India with its ample sun light explore this technology jointly with the US and provide fiscal incentives to the private sector to drive this in India.
I support Mr.Sayed Kabeer Ahmed's & Mr.Masthan's view
There are many nuclear plants in Tamil Nadu. TN government supports closing of the Kudankulam project, without thinking. What is the alternate measure for Tamil Nadu, if they close all the Nuclear plants. Already there is 4000 MW shortage in TN and 4 hours power cut. Can TN live without TV, Fridge, Fan in their houses? The only way is to build safe nulear plants. There is no water resource to increase hydel plants. India cannot affort thermal as oil is already on the high. It is unfortunate Japan had nuclear disaster.
I am very happy to see the Kudankulam project is cleared of from the unexpected hurdles caused by rogue NGO's and Jayalalitha. The protesters, mainly villagers from surrounding villages are not aware about the high safety norms follwed for Kudankulam project and environmentally friendly. They should realise that free electricity they get is not coming from sky just like that. Most of our power plants in India are run by fossil fuels, which are highest polluters. Its an opportunity for the state of Tamil Nadu, to have Kudankulam. Further, if any form of protests and hurdles are to happen, MISA has to be invoked. There should be no tolerance at all, when nation's progress is jeopardised by NGO's like Medha Patkar and Jayalalitha.
Nuclear energy is future for Indian energy market.If handled effectively it could bring about energy revolution in india. It could also in future compensate our huge expenditure concerning to oil imports and may be in future it could become a substitute for petrol,diesel etc as what we have seen in many hollywood movies. But while going for nuclear energy govt should definitely bring locals in confidence by ensuring high transparency and regular communication. It shouldn't be just a mockery or exhibition of corruption as what we seen in past few years, So i think with adequate care "nuclear will definitely clear"
Seeing the pitiable condition of government controlled departments and PSUs in having incompetent and inexperienced people at the top through overlooking technical competence over managerial indecises, it is simply impossible to asses the safety factor in such a technology requiring high level of technological competence.
Centre should also take responsibility to educate people about "energy crisis" prevailing in India. NGOs, science communicators should come forward to talk to people(in a language they will understand) about the advantages and hidden potential of nuclear energy and how clean and green it is. Since coal is available for only 100 years from now, nuclear energy is the only alternative source of energy for future. IITs and other institutes of national importance should start "nuclear engineering department" and "centres of excellence" in nuclear engineering in order to moot R&D activities in nuclear engineering and to improve its safety and reliability.
Appreciate the Prime Minister's clarity of policy, we cannot compromise on our energy requirements or the safety of the people but we have to carry forward our responsibilities towards both.
Why all this drama about giving shawl and so on when some serious issue is being discussed? It only shows AIADMK is not serious about this and has been supporting the Kundankulam issue only for political reasons. And what review is the PM talking about? Some token gestures to throw dust in peoples' eyes? Has anyone seen any result published anywhere of this so-called "review"? Finally some people sitting in Delhi cannot thrust projects onto local communities in the name of energy security or any security.
It is a very sad,but very true state of the States of the world - not only India-that citizens as a rule have no faith in their rulers.The government should make serious efforts to spread the message of the long-term advantages of Nuclear Energy.Further,for the massive efforts needed to erase the horrors of Japanese experience following the recent earth quake,Alternately,(Even to gain a POLITICAL Advantage, with economic benefit)it will be worth while to tap solar-energy on mass scale by extending subsidies to house-holds,where there will be no protests like the one in question.this will ensure captive power to individual house holds even in places like Bihar,UP,Orissa that CONGRESS can make this a election gimmick, to its advantage.Rahul are you listening????
Unless and until we have no railway accidents in this country, all the assurances given by the government have no meaning at all.A country which cannot prevent railway accidents can not prevent NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS AND DISASTERS.
Despite many damaging reports pouring in from Japan in the aftermath of Fukushima nuclear disaster, and in the background of Germany and Japan taking a decision to reverse their policy of reliance on nuclear power, it is amazing how our government is determined to ignore all these lessons. There are any number of reports/articles/issues which clearly indicate that nuclear power cannot be risk free, and the associated risks are unacceptably high. Shall we expose our communities for such totally avoidable high risks in the context of the fact that nuclear power capacity even after 50 years of huge patronage is only about 2.8% of the total capacity, and the fact that the reduction of transmission and distribution losses in our power network from the present level of about 25% to 10% alone can give more additional power capacity than the projected total nuclear power capacity by 2025? The international best practice for transmission and distribution losses is less than 5%.
Good decision by the prime minister. For a nation which is becoming more energy hungry every day, the closure of the project at Koodangulam will spell only disaster. India's energy needs should be addressed in a prudent and long-term vision, in order to remain competitive and become a successful nation.
Congratulations to all who are fighting aghainst Koodakulam Nuclear Plants, which has had no EIA study done, no liability on Russians, no safety what soever clearly announcved, no clarity about the wsate dumping into the sea. What kind of a decision going on, this country. People have no value in this country. Let us continue the struggle till we reach the goal. We do not want Chernobil, Fukushima, Three Mile Island happen in this country.
Outstanding stance from the PM. It is commendable that he is seeing the big picture here in terms of nation's overall energy security. We can not change our basic course because of over-hyped concerns that come up from the public every now and then. Contrary to popular belief, nuclear energy is actually known to be one of the safest and cleanest forms of energy, and for a large country like India, we need the nuclear option for both civil and militray reasons at all times. Jayalaltha and the locals (including liberal newspapers like The Hindu) would do well if they do not unduly interfere in matters that are of national importance.
Kodankulam Project was conceived in 1988 and put on hold past 1992 on NSG issues. It was early 2004 that shipments of parts started arriving. What it means is that the technology and the safety parameters provided could be only as envisaged prior to 2004, a clear seven years before the Fukushima disaster happened. Reactors being of similar technology as of the Fukushima plants, almost ready or in advance stages of construction had no chance of being provided the safeguards against the findings of Fukushima failures. There is a legitimate concern as to their safety and reliability. Under the circumstances, it is foolhardy to rush through with out a fresh re-look at the technology relating to safety and the possibility of effective retrofitting such of those safety features; otherwise the reactors need to be re- fabricated. Need for the safety of the people of the region and their livelihood is as much important as the need for Energy for development. PM should act on his assurances.
This controversy reminds me of a saying "‘don’t let’s throw the baby out with the bathwater'.Power generation is woefully inadequate to meet the needs of domestic and industrial use and nuclear energy is an essential component of the 'energy mix' policy of the Government.
The Kudankulam project must go on. There is no question of abandoning it now, in its final stages. But the government would do well to put safety measures in place and explain it to mollify the people of the area who are naturally scared after learning about the disaster in Japan.
The whole Tamil Nadu is supporting the people who are protesting against the Kudankulam Nuclear Project. However, the final decision should be according to the concern Nuclear Scientist and the Nuclear officials. NOT BY THE POLITICAL DECISION. Note that the movement leader S.P. Udayakumar is seems to leading the people in wrong manner and it has to be investigated. Almost 3000 villagers are protesting against Kudankulam Nuclear Project. In our country there are 20 such Nuclear Plants are already running without any problems and no one is asking to close those projects. S.P. Udayakumar is supporting some of the political parties during the interview with Puthiya Thalaimurai TV channel on 20-09-2011. So he is a main culprit dividing the Indian People over a small issue and this only worse than the Fukushima disaster.
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