Upcoming project in MP to displace local tribal population; proposed site in highly seismic zone near Kanha National Park

Locals of Mandla district will once again raise their voices against 1400 MW NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation India Limited) Chutka project which is coming up in highly seismic zone, near Kanha national park and adjacent to one of the least polluted river Narmada. State government officials have already issued land acquisition notices to local people, almost all of them are tribal, and have slapped a NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) report which is Greek to them.

Efforts to ease scepticism, safety fears

On the heels of the Supreme Court giving a green signal to the Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), setting up the plant, has stepped up efforts to reach out to the locals, explaining the safety features of the project.

NPC is busy carrying out project site development and CSR activities

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s green signal to the Kudankulam nuclear project, those protesting against the proposed 9,900-Mw Jaitapur nuclear project in Maharashtra are gearing to intensify their agitation. NGOs including Raigad Bachao Samiti and Konkan District Jagruk Manch said they will launch the stir afresh to mobilise villagers against the Jaitapur project, raising security concerns. Shiv Sena, the lone political party in Maharashtra opposed to the project, also said a fresh round of agitation will be unleashed soon.

The Supreme Court on Monday directed that all criminal cases against the agitators opposing the Kudankulam nuclear plant be withdrawn to restore normalcy in the area.

Giving a series of directions, a Bench of Justices K. S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra said: “Endeavour should be made to withdraw all the criminal cases filed against the agitators so that peace and normalcy be restored at Kudankulam and nearby places, and steps should be taken to educate the people of the necessity of the plant which is in the largest interest of the nation particularly the State of Tamil Nadu.”

The Supreme Court on Monday said there is no basis to the fear that the radioactive effects of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, when commissioned, will be far reaching.

A Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra said: “We are convinced that the KKNPP design incorporates advanced safety features complying with the current standards of redundancy, reliability, independence and prevention of common cause failures in its safety systems. Design also takes care of Anticipated Operational Occurrences (AOO), Design Basis Accidents (DBA) and Beyond Design Basis Accidents (BDBA) like Station Black Out (SBO), Anticipated Transients Without Scram (ATWS), Metal Water reaction in the water core and provision of core catcher to take care of core degradation.

Asks the authorities to withdraw all criminal charges against those who had been opposing the Russian-aided plant

The Supreme Court today allowed the controversial Kudankulam nuclear project in southern Tamil Nadu to be commissioned but also imposed tough preconditions to ensure the safety of people living around it and who have been agitating against it. It also asked the authorities to withdraw all criminal charges against those who had been opposing the Russian-aided plant. In a 250-page judgment, the bench headed by K S Radhakrishnan (the order was written on their behalf by judge Dipak Mishra) stated the plant should not be made operational unless the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and the Department of atomic energy accorded final clearance for ensuring the quality of various components and systems.

Says plant is safe and secure, necessary for economic growth

SC today dismissed a plea against commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear plant. The plant is safe and secure and is necessary for larger public interest and economic growth of the country, the apex court said. Nuclear power plants are needed in the country for the present and future generations, it added.

Inking the Nuclear Cooperation Agreement paves the way for Canadian uranium to reach India

The governments of India and Canada have taken another step towards full implementation of their bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA), paving the way for Canadian uranium to reach India. Joe Oliver, federal minister of natural resources, announced yesterday that officials from the two countries had signed an ‘Appropriate Arrangement’ as part of the nuclear agreement. He said so at the headquarters of Canada’s largest uranium producer, Cameco Corporation, in Saskatoon, a city in the province of Saskatchewan.

Experts say the membership will help India procure more fuel and nuclear components

Indian nuclear experts have told Business Standard that it is an opportune time for the country to gain membership of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG), despite reservations expressed by China and some smaller European states such as Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The experts strongly feel that this would not only help India procure more fuel and nuclear components, but also be an opportunity for the Indian industry to aggressively tap the global market.