Chennai:
By promising resolution of the Kudankulam issue within a couple of weeks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may have reassured his Russian hosts, but his statement has set off a storm back home in Tamil Nadu.
On an official visit to Russia, Dr Singh yesterday announced that his government will go ahead with the Russian-aided Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu and said that the first unit of the project will be operationalized in a "couple of weeks".
After talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Kremlin, the PM also declared that the second unit will be commissioned six months later and gave an assurance that there will be no problem relating to safety and that "temporary problems" due to agitation over the project would be overcome.
But sharply reacting to the PM's statement in Moscow, activists protesting against the project said it showed the government's "dictatorial attitude".
"This shows the government's dictatorial attitude. Before leaving for Russia, DR Singh said we shall talk it out and now after reaching Russia, he has changed his words. This is condemnable," said SP Udayakumar, the coordinator of the People's Movement of Nuclear Energy.
"We have informed all our struggle committee members to rush for an emergency meeting tomorrow (Saturday) at 12 noon in Idithakarai and we shall decide future course of action", he said, adding, "This action of the government is anti-democratic and anti-people".
Members of the movement are holding a three-day fast in protest. Many also hoisted black flags in areas around Kudankulam.
The Rs. 13,000-crore Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) is located in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. The plant was expected to provide respite from the power shortage problem in Tamil Nadu.
The two 1,000 MW nuclear power reactors that the Nuclear Power Corporation of Indian Limited (NCPIL) is building with Russian technology and equipment in Kudankulam were to start functioning within the next few months. But their commissioning got delayed after protesters, and villagers who live nearby, began blocking the main road leading to the plant.
The villagers fear for their lives and safety in case of any nuclear accident and the long-term impact it would have on the population.
The PM has, however, assured Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa that no safety features will be compromised at the plant. He had also urged her to support the project.
While international experts have signed off on the facilities, deeming them strong enough to withstand an earthquake or a tsunami, the country's nuclear watchdog - the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board - recently suggested more security checks were needed at the plant. (With agency inputs)