Kudankulam protests called off for a day for panchayat polls

Responding to the appeal made by political parties and religious leaders, villagers at Edinthakarai today called off their sit-in protest against the 2,000-Mw Kudankulam nuclear power project for a day. They have decided to participate in the crucial panchayati elections slated for October 17. They have also allowed the movement of government officials and police personnel, especially for shifting ballot boxes at polling booths.

This has paved the way for the Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) to bring out the 100 employees stranded inside the plant since the last two days.

Kudankulam project site director MK Balaji told Business Standard, “The police and the district administration are clearing the roads, which will enable us to bring our employees out. There will be a holiday on Monday for polling. We will take a call on entering the plant on Tuesday, after the advice from the district administration.”

Earlier, villagers from Kudankulam, Vijaypathi, Uravu, Kutapalli, Perumanal, among others, had decided to boycott the polls.

SP Udayakumar, coordinator of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy, which is holding an agitation against the project, said the decision to call off the dharna was for Monday only. He said the villagers had also responded positively and decided to cast their votes. “We will begin the relay fast from Tuesday. The NPC scientists and engineers inside the plant can come out, but we will not allow the entry of 1,000 employees from Tuesday.”

He justified the road blockade and reiterated the project needed to be scrapped.

Kudankulam resident Bala Gurusamy, who has recently come back to his village after leaving his job in Mumbai, said the villagers were united in protesting the scrapping of the project.

However, thanks to the ongoing agitation, contractual labourers, who were also not allowed entry into the plant, started leaving in large numbers for their respective states. Most of these 6,000 labourers belong to states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

An NPC official confirmed the development and admitted it would be difficult to bring them back in such large numbers. However, he added that NPC would make all efforts to resume work.