Lanka concerned about Kudankulam, activists stage protests

Chennai/Colombo, Oct 29: The Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (

) is a matter of concern not only for the people living in its vicinity but also for a neighbouring country.

Sri Lanka has already conveyed its fears about the project. At a bilateral meeting on Oct 12, India stressed that KKNPP is compliant with the highest safety standards. However, Sri Lanka seems to be still unconvinced.

A Lankan foreign ministry official told the Sunday Times that "More diplomatic efforts will be made soon to enable Sri Lanka to get more involved in the monitoring mechanism at the plant." Delhi may be seeking to augment its power production but Colombo too has the right to express concern about what it feels is a safety threat, Karunatilleke Amunugama said.

In Chennai, anti-nuclear activists assembled near the Tamil Nadu Assembly today and called for KKNPP's closure. Citing the meltdown at the Fukushima atomic plant when a tsunami struck Japan in Mar 2011, the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) said that similar release of radio-active materials from KKNPP cannot be ruled out.

Opposition parties like the Pattali Makkal Katchi and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) have announced support to PMANE's stir. MDMK chief Vaiko rued that several activists were taken into detention merely to stop them from joining today's protest.

Meanwhile, activists in Kerala who too are opposed to KKNPP stepped up their agitation. Under the banner of the Solidarity Committee, they took out a rally in Thiruvananthapuram and urged the Kerala Assembly to pass a resolution against the plant.

Members of the Kerala Fish Workers Federation, CPI(ML), Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, National Alliance of Peoples' Movements, Yukthivadi Sangham and Lohya Vichara Vedi are all part of the Solidarity Committee.

KKNPP posed a major threat to Kerala as any danger to the installation would affect the southern parts of the state even though it was situated in Tamil Nadu, said N Subramanian, general convenor of the committee.

OneIndia News