Pray for early closure of Kudankulam power project

Around 300 anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project protestors took out a procession with milk pots from Kudankulam to Sri Vishwamithra Temple at Vijayapathi and offered special puja on Sunday with the only prayer of permanent closure of the nuclear plant.

Farmers' protesting against the State Government's proposal to take over around 1,500 acres of “fertile” land for an industrial park would get a fillip when social activist Medha Patkar would join them to highlight their plight on Monday.

Along with Ms. Patkar, the national convenor of National Alliance of People's Movement, G. Nammalvar, organic scientist, would participate in a protest meeting on Monday, said the secretary of Madurai District Farmers' Welfare Association, M. Ramalingam.

Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa has called a Cabinet meeting on Monday reportedly to discuss the report submitted by the expert panel that went into safety aspects of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project. There is wide expectation CM may give a go-ahead to the plant.

The expert committee has given a clean chit to the project, besides the state badly needs nuclear power to overcome its unprecedented electricity shortage.

CHENNAI: As India is undertaking major tax reforms for the taxation of goods and services, a group of state-level policy makers have suggested green taxes to be integrated in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to tackle issues of pollution and maintain a sustainable growth.

The experts, which included chairman of Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister Dr C Rangarajan and director of Madras School of Economics D K Srivastava and other dignitaries, while deliberating on a state-level policy makers’ decision here on Friday, suggested the need for mechanisms for green taxes in GST to penalise those polluting the environment.

The agitation against the Koodankulam nuclear plant is being undermined by the Union Government by resorting to methods of humiliation inflicted on the leaders of the movement, Partha Chatterjee, Honorary Professor of Political Science and former Director of the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata and Professor of Anthropology at Colombia University, has said.

The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) has dismissed an appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) against an order of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC)

Four companies of police deployed in and around KKNPP

With pressure mounting on the Tamil Nadu government to facilitate the early commissioning of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) to mitigate the power crisis to some extent, Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) S. George visited the project site on Friday besides inspecting a few points around Idinthakarai, the protesters' headquarters.

Works to be completed within 27 months: Palani Manickam

The National Highways Department has sanctioned Rs.1,402 crore for laying four-lane on the national highway from Vikkiravandi to Thanjavur, said S. S. Palani Manickam, Union Minister of State for Finance, here on Friday.

Industries Minister lays foundation stone for scheme. Industries Minister P. Thangamani laid the foundation stone for a new drinking water scheme for Pallipalayam Third Grade Municipality, in Tiruchengode Taluk, recently.

Project management unit to have 4 separate wings

A separate mechanism has been created with headquarters in Cuddalore for monitoring and management of rehabilitation projects in cyclone ‘Thane' affected areas. K. Veera Raghava Rao, Additional Collector, took charge as Project Director (Thane Rehabilitation), in the presence of Collector Rajendra Ratnoo, on the new office premises located at Mariya Soosai Nagar on Friday.