Stepping up their movement against the nuclear project, the anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) protesters have threatened to hold demonstrations and lay siege to Tuticorin port and government offices tomorrow. They also plan to stop all activities at the port.
In a statement issued on Friday, the protesters, under the banner of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), said community leaders of most fishing villages in Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram districts had held another round of consultation at Koothenkuli village, along with the committees of Koothenkuli and Idinthakarai villages. The PMANE struggle committee decided to lay siege to the Tuticorin harbour tomorrow by using fishing boats.
Fishermen elsewhere plan to hold boat rallies in their respective villages. Women and children will form a human chain in the morning and fast in the afternoon, said a statement issued by the protesters. They also asked supporters to lay siege to central government offices in their respective villages and towns.
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Meanwhile, Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan appealed to the protesters not to disturb operations at the port. The minister said the project at Kudankulam was necessary, considering the state was facing power problem.
PMANE condemns foisting additional cases on those facing serious charges, such as sedition, and are in various prisons across Tamil Nadu, the statement by the protesters said.
Earlier in the day, a fact-finding team headed by former judge Kholse Patil visited Viravikinaru and Kudankulam villages and recorded people's testimonies on police atrocities, said the statement.
Fuel loading
The protesters claimed the Nuclear Power Corporation India Ltd had started the fuel loading process at the plant. Even when petitions to stop this were being heard in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Commission had given clearance for loading in the first unit of the plant they charged.
