New Delhi:
After Jayalalithaa sent a strong letter to the Prime Minister this morning, she received a phone call from Dr Manmohan Sigh and an assurance that a senior minister will be deputed to address the concerns of villagers who live near the new Koodankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.
In her note, Jayalalithaa had accused the centre of "abdicating" its responsibility and asked that work be stopped at the Koodankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu. (
Read: Entire letter written by Jayalalithaa to PM)
The nuclear plant, being set up 614 kilometres from Chennai in the Tirunelveli district in the southern part of the state, has caused concerns about safety , even though it has been cleared by the Department of Atomic Energy. 100 villagers have been fasting for nine days against the power plant. The Chief Minister had asked that the central government send "competent authorities" to talk to residents of the area.
"It is surprising that the centre has sent no minister to assuage misgivings," Jayalalithaa stated, adding that "The issue is creating fear psychosis in villages after Fukushima disaster."
So senior minister V Narayanaswamy will travel to the Tirunelveli district to talk to residents.
Jayalalithaa in the past few days has tried to reassure villagers that the plant, an Indo-Russian joint venture, is designed to withstand a tsunami and is located in a region that is not prone to earthquakes.
The nuclear plant, expected to help Tamil Nadu's serious power problems, was sanctioned by the central government in 1988. It is expected to cost $3.5 billion and is being built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL).