‘It Got Nod Without Safety Measures’ New Delhi: An appeal has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging a Madras high court order dismissing a writ petition seeking implementation of critical safety measures before commissioning the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP). The appeal filed by a Chennai resident, G Sundarrajan, through advocate Pranav Sachdeva alleged that the Madras HC gave a go-ahead to KNPP without “first ensuring that critical safety measures recommended by government’s taskforce” were in place. The petitioner sought a stay on initial fuel loading process at KNPP’s Unit 1 and 2, which was a stage prior to commissioning, till the recommendations of the taskforce were fully implemented. He said implementation of all recommendations of the taskforce, which was constituted post-Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, was critical to the safety of people residing in villages and towns around the plant. Sundarrajan said the 17 recommendations made by the taskforce were extremely critical to the safety of the plant but the HC allowed it to go ahead even when the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board had admitted that these could take up to two years for implementation. Commenting on the use of force by police on protestors at the nuclear plant site, the petitioner said, “The government has also absolved the Russian company, which is supplying the nuclear reactor, from any liability in case of an accident in violation of the absolute liability principle evolved by the SC.” Anti-Kudankulam plant stir spreads to Chennai T he protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project on Tuesday spread to Chennai with members of various parties and outfits being arrested for staging road blockade in various parts of the city. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder and Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan and MDMK leader Mallai Sathya were among the scores of agitators who were arrested for staging road-blocks in different parts of the city, police said, adding smaller outfits like MMK also staged protest. The protestors condemned Monday’s police firing in Tutircorin district where a fisherman was killed and opposed loading of uranium fuel at the nuclear plant in Tirunelveli district. CM Jayalalithaa had appealed for calm and cooperation from people of Idinthakarai, assuring that the venture being implemented in collaboration with Russia was safe. PTI