NPCIL already awaits important clearances from Centre Even as the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) awaits some important clearances from the Centre prior to the formal launch of Haryana's first nuclear power project at Gorakhpur in Fatehabad, anti-nuclear power forces have also started mobilising against the project. Sources revealed that some important clearances like the administrative and financial approval of the project and a conservation plan for wildlife are still pending, which were leading to the delay in formal launching of the Rs 23,502 crore nuclear power project by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Parmanu Virodhi Morcha, a conglomerate of NGOs and forces which opposed setting up of 2800-MW Gorakhpur nuclear power project, has announced a seminar here on January 7. Subhash Punia, convener of the morcha, said that Sunderam, a nuclear energy expert from the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) and Sandeep Pandey, a social activist and national convener of Narmada Bachao Andolan, would address the seminar. Punia said that the Parmanu Virodhi Morcha, which fought two-year long battle with Gorakhpur farmers to save their lands from acquisition, has not given up its fight against the project after acceptance of compensation by the farmers. He said that the Morcha had been carrying out a campaign among farmers who would be affected by the ‘ill effects’ of the project and has been mobilising people of the area too. Punia said besides Sunderam and Pandey, local activists Poonam Chand Ratti, Dalip Bedharak, Suman Lata Siwach, Vidya Ratti, Banarsi Dass Monga and Ram Swaroop Bishnoi will also address the seminar. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is still awaiting some important clearances from the Centre before the Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojna (GHAVP) could finally be launched. Sources said that it was due to the delay in these important clearances that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's scheduled visit to lay the foundation stone of the project is getting delayed. The NPCIL as well as the local authorities have already completed their preparations for the Prime Minister's visit, but the programme has been put off twice after the authorities announced two tentative dates of December 30 and January 3. The Prime Minister, who was earlier scheduled to launch the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership at Jhajjar and GHAVP at Fatehabad on the same day, laid the foundation stone of the first project on January 3. Though the local authorities have been giving a tentative date of January 13 for the Prime Minister's visit now, they are not sure whether the launch of the GHAVP will be possible on that day or it will be delayed further. When contacted, TP Arora, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited project director, said the administrative and financial approval of the project was awaited from the Centre. He said the conservation plan for the black bucks living in NPCIL's township site was also to be prepared by the state government. He, however, said he was not sure whether the delay in clearances was the reason for the delay in the laying of foundation stone of the project. The delay * Some important clearances like the administrative and financial approval of the project and a conservation plan for wildlife are still pending, leading to the delay in formal launching of the Rs 23,502 crore nuclear power project by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. * The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited as well as the local authorities have already completed their preparations for the Prime Minister's visit, but the programme has been put off twice after the authorities announced two tentative dates of December 30 and January 3.