Apprehending that anti-social elements and anti-nuclear activists could assemble around the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant and disturb peace, authorities today extended prohibitory orders from two km to seven km radius to ensure its safety.
The extension of orders comes a day after approval by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) to load fuel in the first reactor of the plant, mired in controversy due to opposition from anti-nuclear activists.
“It has come to (our) knowledge that anti-social elements and rioters could assemble in the area and that anti-nuclear activists and those associated with them could cause unrest and disturb public peace, besides indulging in anti-social activities,” a statement from the office of the Collector of Tirunelveli district, where Kudankulam is located, said.
The commissioning of the first of the 2x1000 MWe units of the Indo-Russian project was slated for December last year, but continuing protests by local people on grounds of safety concerns has delayed it.
Meanwhile, the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy, spearheading the anti-nuclear protest, dubbed the AERB move as “authoritarian and anti-democratic”.
“Ever since the authoritarian and anti-democratic announcement by the AERB that fuel rods could be loaded at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the Tamil Nadu government has drastically increased the police force in and around Kudankulam,” the Struggle Committee said in a release.
More police vehicles and personnel were “pouring into our area from various districts of Tamil Nadu” it said, adding, the clamping down of prohibitory orders limit the movement and civil liberties of people in and around the area.
Keywords: Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, fuel loading, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Kudankulam prohibitory orders
No government, in the backdrop of what was going on in the past, would
like to leave scope for disturbing of public order and peace. All
administrative actions taken to ensure law and order within the
authority vested with the government can be termed as authoritarian or
anti- democratic.
how long are they going to place the security around Koodankulam and keep running
up our tax bills? For the next sixty years of the life time of the plant thereby keeping
us back from development with free fuels and clean safe energy for the next sixty
years??? Besides are these officials going to be living around Koodankulam in the 7 km
zone for the next 60 years and are they going to circulate around India with bullet
proof vests for the next sixty years with heavy security?? Such foolishness to embark
on this dangerous expensive economy draining and nation dividing unwanted by the
majority, type of power generation just to satisfy the nuclear wet dreams of a few
mediocre engineers who can only ape the West and are incapable of leading the world
as the Germans and the U.S. in alternative technology, which would be readily
embraced by all and appreciated by all.This government agains shows it has no
kindness and no sensitivity towards it's own people but dances to the white man only
This move, although prudent, is a temporary solution. The permanent one will be to arrest the ring leaders of the PMANE. The plant is so close to fruition. Nothing should go wrong now.
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