Around 13 villages, surrounding the proposed 9900 MW Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project, have passed a resolution against the plant even as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to visit India during which he is likely to seal the pending civil nuclear agreement.
Interestingly, the list not only includes villages which will be directly affected by the project but also those which are not but situated in the vicinity.
The villagers will also be writing a letter to Mr. Abe, urging him to not sign any nuclear agreement.
Japanese companies Mitsubishi, Toshiba and Hitachi provide technology to French Areva and the U.S. – based Westinghouse and GE respectively.
These companies are responsible for setting up nuclear plants at Jaitapur in Maharashtra, Mithivardi in Gujarat and Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh.
The 13 villages — Madban, Mithgavhane, Sakhri-Natye, Natye, Ambolgad, Dhaulvalli, Sagve, Solgaon, Dhopeshwar, Mogre, Rajwadi, Jaitapur and Devache Gothne — have decided to stand up against the project.
“Villagers were unanimous on a demand that they do not want this nuclear project in their vicinity. As a result, all the gramsabhas sat together and passed these resolutions against the plant,” said Satyajit Chavan, President, Jan Hakka Seva Samiti, a representative body of villagers fighting against the JNPP.
The resolution cite radioactivity, nuclear waste, unproven EPR technology to be used in the project and cost of the electricity are the reasons behind their opposition.
While the land acquisition process for the project is already over, it has not moved ahead since several techno-commercial agreements are yet to be finalised.
