The People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), which is leading the ongoing anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project agitation, has decided to send some of the members of its 28-member experts' panel for the proposed talks scheduled for January 31 with the Central Expert panel at the Tirunelveli Collectorate.
“If the Central panel, which is now addressing the students of various colleges on the issues pertaining to the KKNPP, refuses to talk with our representatives, our members in the State panel will not participate in the talks to be conducted on January 31 with the Central Expert panel members,” said S.P. Udayakumar.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Dr. Udayakumar said that PMANE's experts, based on scientific facts and findings had raised several doubts pertaining to the insecure geology of the region surrounding the KKNPP. The Central government's expert panel had the responsibility of answering all these queries and clear their doubts. If the Central experts' team refused to speak to the PMANE's specialists, then anti-nuke representatives in the State panel would not be part of the talks to be held on January 31.
He claimed that the ongoing agitation against KKNPP was being carried forward only with contributions from villagers agitating against the upcoming nuclear power programme. He dismissed allegations that PMANE was getting succour from abroad and some of the non-governmental organisations funded by foreign agencies.
NGOs being threatened
“The Central government, which is levelling all these baseless allegations to divert public attention, is also threatening the NGOs being run by Christian churches through surprise raids though it did not yield any information to prove their charges. In fact, the officials who conducted these raids have lauded the manner in which these organisations are being administered,” Dr. Udayakumar said.
He said that PMANE was prepared to show to anybody except Congress functionaries all its “well-maintained” financial transaction details pertaining to the funds being raised by them after the struggle commenced, its expenses etc. “We've nothing to hide.”
Pro-nuclear activist criticised
Dr. Udayakumar, terming pro-nuclear activist T.K. Sathya Seelan “a thug as per the police records of Ambattur police station in Chennai since 2008,” added that the Department of Atomic Energy should not solicit the services of “such unruly elements” for mobilising support for KKNPP.
Petition against daily
Earlier, he, along with a few PMANE members, submitted petition to District Collector R. Selvaraj seeking filing of case against a Tamil daily “for publicising private information about some PMANE members, including addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses etc. that caused untold agony.”
