No new nuke projects unless safety issues addressed: Chavan

Mumbai, Mar 21: Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today said the state government would not accept any nuclear power project in Maharashtra, including the proposed Jaitapur plant, unless and until all safety issues were addressed.

Replying to a debate in the Assembly over motion of thanks to Governor for his address to the joint Budget Session, Chavan said a "question mark" has been put on the safety issues related to nuclear installations in the wake of the devastating quake and tsunami in Japan.

"There is a raging debate over this issue not just in India but the world over. In Maharashtra, the state government will not accept any nuclear project including Jaitapur until all safety issues are addressed," the chief minister said.

Chavan said the nuclear crisis in Japan had was due to tsunami and "not because of earthquake".

He said there has been a "deliberate" move to create suspicion in the minds of the local people in Jaitapur about the project.

"There should not be opposition just for the sake of it." He said out of the total land acquired for the Jaitapur project, only 27 per cent is agricultural land for which adequate compensation has been proposed.

The chief minister also dismissed "apprehensions" about harmful effect of the plant residue on the marine life and horticulture.

"The state government is ready to discuss the objections scientifically. There are 20 nuclear reactors in India and many of them have faced earthquakes," he said.

PTI