Thiruvananthapuram: Contending serious defects are now surfacing at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), CPI-M leader V.S. Achuthanandan on Sunday demanded that a it should be commissioned only after a probe to find out lapses in safety measures.
In a statement issued in Thiruvananthapuram, the former Kerala chief minister and veteran Communist party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader said that the atomic regulator, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's former chairman A.Gopalakrishnan and a few others have said there are serious flaws and the security aspect has to be ensured before the plant is commissioned.
"A high level team of experts have to be formed and a probe launched to find out the lapses that have risen ahead of the commissioning of the nuclear plant and once they give a clean chit only should the commissioning be given the nod," said Mr Achuthanandan in the statement.
Mr Achuthanandan also noted that news reports have now come stating that serious defects have now been identified in the Russian valves that are being used in the reactor.
"It appears orders for new valves have now been given to a Hyderabad-based company and there are also reports that Russian agencies have registered cases against the Russian company. But it appears that India is on a hurry to commission this reactor and this should not happen unless all the issues have been cleared," he said.
Mr Achuthanandan in October last year defied a party directive and made an attempt to visit the group of protesters who are up in arms against the plant.
Soon after he crossed the Kerala border, the Tamil Nadu Police requested him not to proceed and he returned to Thiruvananthapuram.
A month later, Mr Achuthanandan tendered an open admission that he regretted violating the party discipline by taking an open stand on issues contrary to that of his party.
In a statement issued in Thiruvananthapuram, the former Kerala chief minister and veteran Communist party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader said that the atomic regulator, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's former chairman A.Gopalakrishnan and a few others have said there are serious flaws and the security aspect has to be ensured before the plant is commissioned.
"A high level team of experts have to be formed and a probe launched to find out the lapses that have risen ahead of the commissioning of the nuclear plant and once they give a clean chit only should the commissioning be given the nod," said Mr Achuthanandan in the statement.
"It appears orders for new valves have now been given to a Hyderabad-based company and there are also reports that Russian agencies have registered cases against the Russian company. But it appears that India is on a hurry to commission this reactor and this should not happen unless all the issues have been cleared," he said.
Advertisement
Soon after he crossed the Kerala border, the Tamil Nadu Police requested him not to proceed and he returned to Thiruvananthapuram.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Red Alert Issued For Kerala's Wayanad Amid Heavy Rain Forecast Video: Foreigner Claims She Was Denied Entry Into Kerala Temple, Congress' Karti Chidambaram Reacts Freedom Of Press May Not Include Sting Operations In All Cases: Kerala High Court World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Madhya Pradesh's CBI Move: Agency Needs Written Consent To Probe Cases Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report OpenAI Unveils Cheaper Small AI Model GPT-4o Mini Man Insulted By Employer's Son Takes Revenge, Robs Him Off Rs 3.5 Crore Norton Motorcycles To Be Launched In India; Six Motorcycles Announced For Global Markets Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.