Is India’s nuclear dream in jeopardy?
Is the government’s overarching attempt to transform India into a nuclear powerhouse facing a roadblock? With protests against the Koodankulam nuclear project intensifying, the government is now under pressure from Russia to ensure the commissioning of the 1000 Mwe reactors does not get stalled.
Asserting that as a follow up to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, India’s requests for additional safety norms in the Koodankulam plant had been complied with claimed senior counsellor Sergey V. Karmalito of the Russian embassy.
“Last month we conducted the trial runs, which was a very important step forward in which all safety measures were checked apart from whatever was envisaged of the plant in terms of features and productivity,” he explained.
Mr Karmalito felt the Fukushima plant could not be compared with Koodankulam as the former comprised a reactor which was constructed decades ago while the Tamil Nadu plant consisted of “one of the most powerful and modern reactors” in the world, he claimed adding that any delay in commissioning of Koodankulam would have a cascading effect on other Indo-Russian projects.
“What we understand is that the agitation is happening because they (protesters) want experts to explain and address safety issues relating to the power plant. We hope that Indian government and the atomic department will soon do so,” Mr Karmalito said.
BJP MP Shahnawaz Husain has also issued a grim warning that the “concerns of the local people must be addressed”.
Post new comment