S.P. Udayakumar, coordinator of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), on Saturday proposed a State-level group of activists and NGOs from different districts to take up environmental issues.
Speaking at a meeting he convened here, he said such a group could effectively identify issues and support causes.
“We are hosting a similar gathering at Kancheepuram and will launch the organisation at Idinthakarai on September 10. Like the struggle at Idinthakarai against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), which has worked with the people’s support, this group, too, will have no political allegiance or foreign funding,” he said.
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Answering questions about the KKNPP, Mr. Udayakumar said PMANE members would meet leaders of political parties in Chennai and urge them not to allow the establishment of the third and fourth units of the plant.
“During the month between May 26 and June 27, six lakh litres of diesel has been purchased at the plant for Rs. 3.25 crore, and the officials are refusing to cite the reasons. At the Kalpakkam plant, only Rs. 15.46 lakh has been spent on diesel purchase from January 2013 to June 2014,” he said.