Having served as a member in the first Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, I find it sad that the Kudankulam reactor lies idle now. When the power requirement is nearly four or five times of what is available at present, the current controversy has adversely affected the progress of nuclear energy. In spite of experts certifying that the reactors have “state-of-the-art safety features” (“Kudankulam reactors safest: Central panel,” Nov. 19), one is only reminded of the saying “one can make 100 horses to drink, but 100 men cannot make one horse to drink.” For the sake of argument — if this project is scrapped, is there an alternative source of energy of the magnitude Kudankulam can offer? Will the Centre provide financial support to help make the switch to another energy source?
C.A. Jayachandran,
Vellore
