Centre will take all steps to commission KNPP: Chidambaram

Chennai, Dec 17: A day after the Prime Minister announced that the Koodankulam nuclear project would be operationalised in a couple of weeks, Home Minister P. Chidambaram today said the Centre would take all steps to commission the plant after allaying the fears of locals.

"By removing the fears of the locals and their doubts, the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project will definitely be commissioned. Government will take all steps to implement the project", he said at a function here to celebrate Congress President Sonia Gandhi's 66th birthday.

Noting that the Centre had sent former President A P J Abdul Kalam to allay the fears of the local people, Chidambaram said the protesters should come forward and discuss the issue with scientists.

"What protection they need. What more measures needed to be taken.. The Centre is ready to take all safety measures to implement the project on which thousands of crores have been invested", he said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had yesterday announced in Moscow that the first unit of the project will be operationalised in a "couple of weeks".

Shipping Minister G K Vasan said Tamil Nadu would get 1,000 MW if the KNPP was implemented. The Indo-Russian joint venture has run into trouble delaying its commissioning due to the stand-off between government and protesters on the issue of safety.

PTI