The Centre on Saturday termed the action of anti-Kudankulam nuclear power plant activists in preventing scientists and employees from going to work at the unit as “unfortunate” and appealed to them to join negotiations on the issue.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s office, V Narayanasamy told reporters in Chennai, “It is unfortunate -- the kind of stopping people (from proceeding to work).. My request is let us negotiate and discuss with an open mind and we are ready to remove apprehensions.”
Noting that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had decided to set up an expert committee to talk to the agitating locals on the issue, he said the people’s views would be taken into consideration. Though the protestors had initially started their protest in a “Gandhian way,” they have now changed the mode, he said, in reference to the latest developments.
The agitators had stepped up their protest against the KNNP, staging a road block in front of the plant site on Thursday, preventing entry of workers and scientists into the complex.
The Minister regretted that despite assurances from Centre and state (on safety and discussions) they had resumed their protest.
The Centre was waiting for “a signal” from Tamil Nadu government and would then constitute the expert committee, he said, adding that the completion of the project would augur well for the power scenario in the country and especially Tamil Nadu, which will get 925 MWe from it.
“More than 99 per cent work in the first reactor and 93 per cent in the second were over and power production is due to start soon,” Mr Narayanasamy said as he vouched for the plant’s safety.
