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| Villagers plan 'fill up jail' agitation |
| Sanjay Jog / Mumbai Jan 17, 2012, 00:27 IST |
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Taking cue from Tamil Nadu villagers protesting against the 2,000-Mw Kudankulam nuclear power project, their counterparts in Maharashtra have decided to step up their agitation against the proposed plant at Madban along the Konkan Coast. Project-affected persons from 10 villages in the vicinity of the project site have announced a ‘jail bharo’ agitation on January 24 and 25 to press for the cancellation of 9,900-Mw nuclear project in Ratnagiri district.
Simultaneously, the villagers plan to counter an awareness campaign being proposed by the Nuclear Power Corporation in favour of nuclear energy in general and the Jaitapur project in particular. Their umbrella organisation, Janhit Seva Samiti, besides the Konkan Bachao Samiti, have worked out a comprehensive plan to reach out to a vast cross-section of people, explaining the “dangers” of nuclear power, especially of the Jaitapur project.
The villagers’ move comes at a time when France’s nuclear regulator says there is no need for a change in the design of evolutionary pressurised reactor (EPR) to be procured from that country’s Areva for the Jaitapur project. State-owned NPC, which is the developer of the Jaitapur project, has also stated that the EPRs have in-built safety applications to tackle accidents similar to Fukushima that took place in March last year.
Janhit Seva Samiti claims the villagers do not want nuclear power. “They strongly feel that it will not only affect fish population and mango cultivation, but also ruin their life. The environment damage will be quite severe,” he told Business Standard. “To drive home our point, we are organising a ‘jail bharo’.”
Already there has been a “drastic fall” in the local fish catch and mango production. “The villagers fear the situation will become worse after the Jaitapur project is commissioned,” he informs.
A senior state government official ensures deployment of police bandobast on the days. “As per information available with the government, NPC has completed the boundary wall. The project development is in progress,” he informs. “The government will soon give its approval for the rehabilitation package prepared by NPC, whereby the affected families will get Rs 10 lakh per acre.”
NPC project director C B Jain confirmed that the project development was underway. The corporation’s negotiations with Areva for the supply of two EPRs of 1,650 Mw each during first phase would “gather momentum”, he added.
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