Members of the 15-member committee constituted recently by the Centre to allay the fears of local people on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project will meet the 6-member ‘expert panel' formed by the State, at the Collectorate here on Tuesday.
The expert committee comprises District Collector R. Selvaraj, Superintendent of Police Vijayendra S. Bidari, RC Bishop of Tuticorin Diocese Rt. Rev. Yvon Ambroise, M. Pushparayan, Rev. Fr. M.P. Jesuraj and Thangaraj of Pillaiyarkudiyiruppu in Radhapuram taluk.
However, Rt. Rev. Yvon Ambroise has declined to be a member of the committee as he was not consulted before being inducted into it, Bishop's House sources said.
“I'm not an expert in this (nuclear energy) field. I can be a member of the committee only if I'm a specialist in the field of nuclear energy. Hence, I refused to accept this offer and have sent a letter to the Tirunelveli Collector in this connection,” Rt. Rev. Yvon Ambroise told The Hindu over the phone on Monday.
Protest against member
The protesters have raised a banner of revolt against the inclusion of Mr. Thangaraj, whose educational qualification, they claimed, was only SSLC.
“We have also recorded our protest against the inclusion of Mr. Thangaraj in the committee as nobody knows about him and his expertise in the field of nuclear energy,” said S.P. Udhayakumar, coordinator of the anti-KKNPP struggle committee, after his meeting with Collector R. Selvaraj at the Collectorate on Monday.
The Central panel consists of experts from a range of disciplines, including radiation safety, reactor safety, oncology, fisheries and nuclear waste management.
“Our representatives Mr. Pushparayan and Rev. Fr. Jesusraj will raise our genuine apprehensions when they meet the Central committee members on Tuesday,” Dr. Udhayakumar said.
