Chennai:
The first meeting between a Centre-appointed expert panel and Tamil Nadu representatives to break the impasse over the Kudankulam nuclear power plant ended today with anti-nuclear activists saying the protests would continue but so would the dialogue.
The meeting in Tirunelvelli lasted about 90- minutes and saw the activists asking over 50 questions. The experts will provide a detailed response at the next meeting in an attempt to convince those opposed to the project.
With protesters showing little signs of relenting, the Centre has pinned its hopes on dialogue between an expert panel and Tamil Nadu representatives. Protests over safety concerns have stalled work on the Rs 13,700-crore project for over a month now. The protesters want the nuclear power plant to be shut down and converted to a gas-based power plant.
This was the first face-to-face dialogue between the state government-appointed panel, which comprises of representatives of the anti-nuclear protesters and the 15-member independent expert group, appointed by the central government.
Maintaining that they had come with an open mind, representative of the anti-nuclear group People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, M Pushparayan, said that the "dialogue will continue" and expressed hope that the impasse could be broken. The protests would, however, continue till fears in the minds of people in the area were dispelled, Mr Pushparayan warned.
In what should bring some cheer to the Centre, there are some voices in favour of the project. "We want Kudankulam nuclear project, it is good for people. The anti-nuclear protestors should be controlled," said P Mathusoothana Perumal. A resident of Kanyakumari, Mr Perumal is president of the Hindu National Congress, a local religious NGO which has submitted a memorandum in support of project.
One of the six representatives nominated by the Tamil Nadu government, however, decided to give the meeting a skip. Tuticorin Bishop Father Yvon Ambrose chose not be a part of the meeting, saying that he was "not a nuclear expert" and that he had not been consulted earlier. "We don't know if others have boycotted, we are there," Mr Pushparayan said.
Protests have continued near the site despite the resounding thumbs-up given to the nuclear plant by former President and one of the country's top scientists APJ Abdul Kalam.
Giving a clean chit to safety measures at the nuclear plant, Mr Kalam had suggested a 10-point development plan for the people of the area who have been up in arms demanding that the plant be closed as they fear for their lives and safety.
India's "missile man" visited the upcoming nuclear plant on Sunday, inspected the security measures and said he was "fully satisfied" with the "third generation safety features". But Mr Kalam's distinguished scientific background and his son-of-the-soil status have not cut ice with the thousands of villagers, whose protests have held up work on the Rs. 13,700-crore 2 x 1000 MW nuclear power project for almost a month. With protests against the project mounting, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet too has asked for a temporary halt in work.
The anti-nuclear protesters are happy that Mr Kalam has spoken of development but have expressed skepticism about the experts, pointing out that many of them have an old and deep linkage to DAE.
They maintain that many issues are unsolved. "We are not just worried about the safety of the reactor; we need to know about the waste issues, the decommissioning issues, the overall freshwater issues. There are so many other issues that have been left unanswered until now," said SP Udhayakumar, Coordinator, People's Movement against Nuclear Energy.
The Rs 200-crore plan suggested by Mr Kalam envisages building four-lane highways, a mega desalination plant and construction of houses, schools and hospitals in the area to benefit Kudankulam and its 60-odd neighbouring villages.
The 2 X 1000 MW nuclear power plant is being built by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) with Russian technology and equipment.