Activists and experts under the platform of the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament & Peace (CNDP) have termed the Supreme Court’s go-ahead to the controversial nuclear power plant at Kudankulam

An anti-nuclear group that includes lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Tuesday described the recent Supreme Court judgment on Kudankulam nuclear power plant as 'travesty of justice' and said it had overloo

Fishermen in the coastal hamlets of Tirunelveli district abstained from fishing operations in protest against the Supreme Court verdict that allowed the commissioning of the first reactor of the Ku

Efforts to ease scepticism, safety fears

On the heels of the Supreme Court giving a green signal to the Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), setting up the plant, has stepped up efforts to reach out to the locals, explaining the safety features of the project.

NPC is busy carrying out project site development and CSR activities

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s green signal to the Kudankulam nuclear project, those protesting against the proposed 9,900-Mw Jaitapur nuclear project in Maharashtra are gearing to intensify their agitation. NGOs including Raigad Bachao Samiti and Konkan District Jagruk Manch said they will launch the stir afresh to mobilise villagers against the Jaitapur project, raising security concerns. Shiv Sena, the lone political party in Maharashtra opposed to the project, also said a fresh round of agitation will be unleashed soon.

AERB governing body likely to take a final decision

With the Supreme Court removing the obstacles for commissioning the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), the first reactor is likely to go critical any time between May 13 and 20. Highly placed sources in the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), the project proponent, told The Hindu that a team of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board experts were going through the results of the tests conducted a few days ago and holding discussions on the results with the NPCIL technocrats.

Rejecting the Supreme Court verdict in favour of the nuclear power plant in Kudankulam, the members of the protest committee have decided to continue with their stir. A meeting of community elders and leaders of neighbouring villages will be held on Thursday afternoon to discuss the issue.

On Monday, the SC had endorsed the view of the Madras High Court and allowed the commissioning of the power plant. The order included had 15 directions relating to safety, environmental safeguards and disposal of nuclear waste. It had also ordered the state to withdraw cases against agitators.

The Supreme Court on Monday directed that all criminal cases against the agitators opposing the Kudankulam nuclear plant be withdrawn to restore normalcy in the area.

Giving a series of directions, a Bench of Justices K. S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra said: “Endeavour should be made to withdraw all the criminal cases filed against the agitators so that peace and normalcy be restored at Kudankulam and nearby places, and steps should be taken to educate the people of the necessity of the plant which is in the largest interest of the nation particularly the State of Tamil Nadu.”

The Supreme Court on Monday said there is no basis to the fear that the radioactive effects of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, when commissioned, will be far reaching.

A Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra said: “We are convinced that the KKNPP design incorporates advanced safety features complying with the current standards of redundancy, reliability, independence and prevention of common cause failures in its safety systems. Design also takes care of Anticipated Operational Occurrences (AOO), Design Basis Accidents (DBA) and Beyond Design Basis Accidents (BDBA) like Station Black Out (SBO), Anticipated Transients Without Scram (ATWS), Metal Water reaction in the water core and provision of core catcher to take care of core degradation.

Asks the authorities to withdraw all criminal charges against those who had been opposing the Russian-aided plant

The Supreme Court today allowed the controversial Kudankulam nuclear project in southern Tamil Nadu to be commissioned but also imposed tough preconditions to ensure the safety of people living around it and who have been agitating against it. It also asked the authorities to withdraw all criminal charges against those who had been opposing the Russian-aided plant. In a 250-page judgment, the bench headed by K S Radhakrishnan (the order was written on their behalf by judge Dipak Mishra) stated the plant should not be made operational unless the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and the Department of atomic energy accorded final clearance for ensuring the quality of various components and systems.