Everyone, right from the Site Director to the office assistant at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, is sad on hearing about the sudden demise of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who had visited the upcoming nuclear park on three occasions.
“I did not believe the news first. I believed that a sudden exhaustion might have been the reason behind Dr. Kalam’s collapsing on the dais when he was addressing the students of the Indian Institute of Management - Shillong. When news of later developments started pouring in, I could not believe my ears,” said Site Director of the KKNPP R.S. Sundar, who was Dr. Kalam’s ‘food in-charge’ when he visited the Tarapur Nuclear Power Plant once in the capacity of Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister.
Down-to-earth approach
“I was just struck down by the great visionary’s down-to-earth approach even as he was going around the Tarapur plant. He told me during the lunch that he would be grateful if I could arrange for some rice, sambar and rasam. When the food was served, he enjoyed the simple food a lot. He shook my hands for providing “the sumptuous lunch” while leaving, though what we had provided him on that day was a common man’s meal,” recalled Mr. Sundar.
“When he was addressing the KKNPP employees as President, he wanted to see 8,000 MWe power cascading from the project though we’ve planned only for 6,000 MWe.
“Again, Dr. Kalam visited us (at the KKNPP) even as the agitation was going on, evaluated every safety aspect we’d incorporated in the nuclear reactor and lauded the futuristic safety measures. Only then he categorically came on record that the nuclear reactors at the KKNPP were the safest in the world,” Mr. Sundar said.
A team of KKNPP employees will leave for Rameshwaram on Wednesday in buses to pay their last respects to the late President.
“Dr. Kalam visited the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, evaluated every safety aspect we had incorporated in the nuclear reactor and lauded the futuristic safety measures”
