Nuclear plant row: Jaitapur protests intensify; cops injured

Mumbai, April 18: Hundereds of villagers agitating against the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP) at Madban village of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra on Monday, April 18 pelted stones on policemen, injuring them, when they were fighting protesters.

"Protesters pelted stones at the policemen in which some cops were injured. Police had to open firing in the air to disperse the crowd," said Ratnagiri Superintendent of Police Pradeep Raskar told PTI.

Hundereds of people from Madban, Jaitapur, Nate and other affected villages in the district today held spontaneous protests against the 9,900 MW project, said Vaishali Patil, activist and member of Konkan Bachao Samiti, an NGO opposing the project.

The project with six nuclear rectors of 1,600 MW each would be one of the largest N-power projects in the world.

"We are demanding the state government scrap the project but it is so adamant. It is not worried about a repeat of Japan's nuclear crisis here," Patil said.

Patil said despite protests, the government had begun its work due to which villagers resorted to protests.

PTI