Terming “undemocratic and anti-people” the Supreme Court’s verdict dismissing a petition filed against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) has said the protest against the project would be intensified.
“As we observe the 1,000th day of the Idinthakarai-based anti-KKNPP struggle on Sunday [May 11], we’ll take a decision on taking this agitation to every part of Tamil Nadu so that every Tamil will understand the serious threats being posed by the project,” PMANE leader Mahibhan Victoria Pushparayan said.
He said that without verifying the “compliance reports” filed by various agencies of the Central and State governments, the Supreme Court concluded that there was no need for forming a team of experts to ascertain the veracity of the charges made in the petition. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited was not yet ready to make public a range of documents, including the safety analysis report and the environment impact assessment report. “All reports pertaining to the KKNPP should have been put in the public domain. Hence, the Supreme Court, which had earlier raised concerns at the safety of the KKNPP reactors, should not have come to this conclusion.”
The process of finding a suitable site for dumping the nuclear waste — deep geological repository — would take at least five years. Without such a spot identified, operations were under way on the project site, he alleged. Hot-water from the reactor should be discharged underneath in the sea, at least two km from the shore. But such guidelines had not been followed.
KKNPP Site Director R.S. Sundar declined to comment on the verdict, saying he needed time to study it. However, technocrats of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and the KKNPP welcomed the judgment.
