Protesters opposing the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) on Monday demanded that the Union government organise a nationwide debate on the country’s energy policy, particularly on the ongoing as well as proposed nuclear power programmes.

Convener of the Anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Struggle Committee, S.P. Udayakumar, said the current agitation against the KKNPP would be suspended if voters chose to support the Congress overwhelmingly in the next Lok Sabha polls even after a transparent nationwide debate.

In a bid to enhance safety of its increasing number of nuclear plants, India on Monday inked a pact with Ukraine on Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection to take advantage of its expertise in the crucial sector.

Four other pacts, including framework agreement to expand defence ties were also inked between the two countries after comprehensive talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych during which they agreed to forge a comprehensive partnership between their countries.

Asserting that “third generation plus” safety features had been incorporated in the reactors of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayanasamy on Sunday said the first 1,000 MWe reactor would start generating power by December-end.

He told reporters that the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), which were keen on guaranteeing the safety and security of the people living around the KKNPP site, had ensured the incorporation of state-of-the-art seven-tier safety features in the reactors.

‘Going by the experience of Chernobyl and Fukoshima, India should tread warily’

India has stopped taking its own decisions. Other countries are deciding what is good for our country. We are governed by somebody outside our boundaries, former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral (retd) L. Ramdas sa