Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has asked the Prime Minister to halt the construction of Koodankulam nuclear plant.
In a press release, Jayalalithaa said the issue is creating fear psychosis in villages after Fukushima disaster and asked the Prime Minister to send competent authorities to Koodankulam.
The nuclear plant in Tirunelvelli district of Tamil Nadu, once functional, will be India's largest power generation complex.
But 8000 villagers are on a hunger strike against the setting up of the plant. The plant will solve the power shortage in Tamil Nadu, but protesters, mostly fishermen from three districts, are worried it will spell the end of their livelihood.
The plant is being built using Russian technology which activists say is untested and even disputed in Russia. However, the Department of Atomic Energy insists the plants are safe.
The agreement was signed between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1988. The $3.5 billion project was stalled for 10 years due to upheavals in Russia.
The Fukushima disaster has become a flash point around nuclear projects, not just here but also in Jaitapur in Maharashtra fuelling protests and debate.
In a press release, Jayalalithaa said the issue is creating fear psychosis in villages after Fukushima disaster and asked the Prime Minister to send competent authorities to Koodankulam.
The nuclear plant in Tirunelvelli district of Tamil Nadu, once functional, will be India's largest power generation complex.
But 8000 villagers are on a hunger strike against the setting up of the plant. The plant will solve the power shortage in Tamil Nadu, but protesters, mostly fishermen from three districts, are worried it will spell the end of their livelihood.
The plant is being built using Russian technology which activists say is untested and even disputed in Russia. However, the Department of Atomic Energy insists the plants are safe.
The agreement was signed between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1988. The $3.5 billion project was stalled for 10 years due to upheavals in Russia.
The Fukushima disaster has become a flash point around nuclear projects, not just here but also in Jaitapur in Maharashtra fuelling protests and debate.
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