He will also send legal notice to Manmohan, Elangovan
Anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Struggle Committee convener S.P. Udayakumar on Monday challenged Union Minister V. Narayanasamy to prove the allegation that he (Udayakumar) was receiving foreign assistance to carry out the protests, by producing credible evidence against him in a court of law, “where he will be sued shortly”.
Dr. Udayakumar told reporters that he attended two meetings – one in New Delhi between March 17 and 19, 2005 and the other one in Stockholm on March 15, 2006 – organised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) as he was one of the resource persons in the organisation's panel on reconciliation.
“I've no other contact with IDEA and do not have any financial transaction with this organisation as being indirectly alleged by Mr. Narayanasamy. Since the reply by Mr. Narayanasamy to my legal notice is not satisfactory, I've decided to sue him as his remarks have tarnished my impeccable image. He should produce in the court the evidence he has to prove his charges against me.”
Dr. Udayakumar said that he would be sending legal notice to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too within a day or two for his “Scandinavian connection” remarks against the anti-KKNPP struggle.
He said former Union Minister and former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president E.V.K.S. Elangovan would also receive legal notice for his recent assertion that Dr. Udayakumar had been jailed in the United States for three months for “drug trafficking”.
“Instead of recognising a struggle being waged with democratic principles against the disastrous nuclear power generation programme, those who are in power are attempting their level best to tarnish the image of the protest by saying that the poor fishermen, farmers and the beedi rollers are playing into the hands of foreign agencies. These cunning attempts can never dent the anti-KKNPP struggle.”
Dr. Udayakumar also rejected Mr. Narayanasamy's allegation that the KKNPP was incurring a loss of Rs.750 crore every month owing to the protests. The commissioning was originally scheduled for 2007. It suffered a seven-year delay as it was not completed till mid-2011. “Who should be held responsible for this delay?”
Dr. Udayakumar said that Maya Kobayashi, who had a miraculous escape in the Fukushima disaster, would share her experience at a function to be organised in Radhapuram on March 11, the first anniversary of the Fukushima incident. .
He hoped that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was still against the nuclear power programmes as she had announced that the State government would spend Rs.8,000 crore on the Udangudi Thermal Power Project as part of her efforts to make Tamil Nadu a power-surplus State, and not demanded the early commissioning of the KKNPP.
it is all very easy for us to say that nuclear is the way forward... but once the plant gets decommissioned, what are we going to do with the radioactive waste that gets generated? do we have that technology to do so? and radioactive waste takes LAKHS of years to decompose... and its not just at the time of an accident, even mining of uranium is carcinogenic in nature... there are frequent radioactive gases that are let out in the atmosphere... HOW is nuclear energy the way ahead?
I really fail to understand, why only Fukushima is given as an example
how about the other 99% of the nuclear reactors working fine around the
world. There needs to stricter policies and safe guards but shunning
nuclear in India/for India is sheer stupidity.
All protests use the example of Fukushima as if it is a fundamental problem of nuclear power generation. How about taking a look at France which generates 85% of its power from nuclear reaction? Nuclear power generation has come a long way since the 70s and remains a great option for efficiency of generated power from a given amount of fuel. So, if these protestors are so well informed, where were they for the many years it took to build and erect the Kudankulam plant? They are all pawns in the hands of background interests. If this plant was supported by US business interests (read "with US supplied nuclear fuel"), we would not have a single protestor. As far as German tourists are concerned, if they are not touring the country, they should not be here on a tourist visa. This is a fundamental violation and a fabricated statement to an Indian consular officer. On those grounds alone, that person can be removed, according to the law.
I welcome the Germans. Germany is the only country with guts intelligence and good business sense to tap into the infinite resources of the SUN. Check the documentary by GlobalClimateNews on youtube entitled The Solar Power Revolution Here Comes The Sun - Documentary. It will open your eyes as to where the future is headed. >India has to decide whether it will remain in the Dark Ages with deadly and inherently dangerous Nuclear Power and it's cancer causing radiation or have a sunny bright future with the SUN and it's Gigawatt capacity for power generation! If our leader take a few minutes to watch this documentary they will know how much losses we will suffer if we continue with this nuclear madness. How can a leader bring in an industry which causes stress and unhappiness to the community concerned? Especially when there are cheaper and 100% safe technologies available which would bring health, happiness, and security. Are we not all manifestations of Brahman with equal rights for all?
@Venki:Highly placed police sources have said that preliminary
investigation revealed that Mr. Hermann was in touch with S.P.
Udayakumar,convener of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy.He
not only participated in anti-nuclear energy agitations but also took
photographs of the events to document them.There is a LOC against him
and was under surveillance January 2010. He gave ideas to the
agitators on how they should keep their sentiments alive.Hermann was
master-minding the anti-nuclear energy agitation the source
adds.Documentary evidences are available against him.Simply do not
comment without ascertaining the background.People cannot be deported
without reasons.
I seriously wonder why all this drama about this plant. why in the
world the folks opposing commissioning of KKNNP are not staging the
demonstration against the operational Kalpakkam plant? is it because
the plant is not in the vicinity of their dwelling? or they just dont
care about the fishermen/farmer etc etc from northern part of the
tamilnadu? if the objective of demonstration is stop using nuclear
power then protesters should staged first at kalpakkam. It is very
evident, the protests are staged, funded with the help of
international NGO's. There are risks in everything we do, thermal
power plant pollutes the environment more than nuclear energy. I
assume, the GOI has taken every safety measure possible other IAEA
wouldnt permit the commissioning. There will be always be unforeseen
risk and problem which we will deal with and learn from it.
The carbon footprint of solar panels and wind turbines are quite high, unless you live in places where there is sustained wind or sustained sunlight through the year, which is very rare. Putting solar panels on houses are very expensive and will take upwards of 15 years to pay off in most places in India. Nuclear power is the way to go; it is safe so long as the safeguards are in place, and it is utilized well. It has the highest cost benefit ratio; just becuase germany or scandinavia gave it up does not mean India needs to give it up.
@ D. Vijay Raj.
Your TN CM Jayalalitha has openly declared that she is with the people of Kudankulam whatever their opinion might be. Whoever high up the person might be - even if he is PM, he should be very careful about using IB and all with an agenda to bring down opposition forces or dissent amongst people. When you say people, it obviously means Indian people. Please do not get confused that if people of Kudankulam alone protests then they are different and we are different. They are as Indian as us. There is a fear factor that is not being addressed because of a tech. propaganda that is being run by PM MMS. We already know how "StratFor" spied on Bhopal activists for years here in India. Why did our Govt not do anything to protect the privacy of Indian people fighting for Indian causes? Did IB not know what is going on? I see this as a deliberate witch-hunt on people who need to be treated with respect and with a caring attitude. The KKNP guys may have a genuine cause.
@ D.Vijay Raj, Mr Udayakumar has already responded to the German connection. That poor German is an admirer of India and he had nothing to do with funding of the protest. Government achieved its objective of bringing this as a headline news and all the people talking about it. A GERMAN CONNECTION TO KKNP. This is enough for our people to gossip around and add ears and nose to the story.
@xavier surender: People means people of India and not these protesting
villagers. KKNPP is going to be commissioned and GOI is prepared to
take your challenge. If you think that CM Jayalalithaa is supporting the agitation, you are sadly mistaken. Jayalalaithaa can not afford to go
anti nuclear and survive in politics.
A news item in The Hindu on line edition:A German national,Sonnteg
Reiner Hermann (49) , was picked up by Tamil Nadu Police in Nagercoil
for allegedly assisting the protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear
Power Plant (KKNPP) and deported from the country in the wee hours of
Tuesday.Mr.S.P. Udayakumar here is a proof that you wanted.
A word of caution for Narayanaswamy, it does'nt matter how powerfull he is but ultimately if the people decide not to have Koodankulam power project up and going the GOI cannot do anything about it, its not possible to arrest every village and town and neither will the GOI have the termity to gun down all, understand the power of the people, stories of foreign funds, involvement of christian missionaries are going to cut ice. Resolve peoples worries else they are prepared for the worst, Narayanaswamy be ready this is the last time you will roam around the portals of parliament.
This agitation is a classic example of Politicians v/s People. By intend
both are expected to be one and the same but in reality are two
different entities representing different interests.
Here's an interesting comment in the New York Times following an article about
the Government of Japan's secret plans to evacuate the people of Tokyo as the Fukushima crisis was unfolding. The writer talks about the nuclear industry in the USA, but this provides dire warnings for the citizens of India :
JohnButte, Montana
In the nuclear fairyland, atomic power is not on taxpayer life support and has not been a concrete example of industrial socialism for the entire 60-year life of the industry. Today's two new reactors in Georgia require taxpayer loan guarantees six times the level of Solyndra because private investors are too wise to put a dime into the industry otherwise. Private insurers said in the 1950s the industry was too dangerous to insure. The last two reactors built in Georgia in the 1970s were budgeted, financed and approved at $700 million. They actually cost $2 billion. Pity the ratepayers. Meanwhile the guardians of the citizens' dollars and safety, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is adding 20 years to the 40-year life of worn out GE reactors of the same design as those at Fukushima. They're ticking time bombs. If all that money and engineering talent were put toward renewables and energy efficiency, we'd be in much better shape and there would be many more jobs.
I admire the stand of the people of Kudankulam against the nuclear industry of India. India is bent on expanding its nuclear energy at an astronomical cost that will produce only a meagre output of power for a mere 35 to 40 years. The larger picture is sombre in event of a single nuclear accident, a part of the country will be un-inhabitable with loss of lives and diseases spread over several generations. Nuclear proponents know that India has no infrastructure or technology to deal with a nuclear crisis, even Japan had to import huge cranes used in the construction industry to douse the reactors and spent pools with water. There will be many cost overruns and delays in the nuclear industry. Check out Areva's track record in Finland. India is frittering away billions of dollars to foreign interests who will also control the supply of uranium. India would be wise to embark on a rapid expansion of renewable energy. Put solar panels on all homes and buildings and save energy.
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