Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) has denied allegation by a Sri Lankan interest group that the Kudankulam plant in Tamil Nadu was leaking radiation, and said the phase 1 of the project would be ready soon and power production would start by April-end.

The Sri Lankan group, the People's Movement Against Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, on Saturday alleged that the plant had been leaking radiation since February 27. "There has not been any radiation leakage from the Kudankulam project. Already, the Indian high commission in Sri Lanka as well as the ministry of external affairs have denied the allegation," R S Sundar, Kudankulam project site director, told Business Standard.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Bench, has rapped the Tirunelveli Collector and Sivagiri Tahsildar for their non-appearance in a case filed by the villagers of Nelkattumseval against the conversion of a stream into a road in Tirunelveli district.

R. Sundaraiah Thevar and R.Velusamy Thevar of Nelkattumseval village, Sivagiri taluk, filed an application before the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi seeking to restrain the authorities from converting the land into a road and further sought direction to maintain the subject survey land as it exists as per the revenue records. The application has been pending before the NGT since September last year.

The Union budget presented in Parliament on Thursday has provided an allocation of Rs. 150 crore for a neighbourhood development project at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, where a 2000 MW nuclear power plant is coming up.

The provision follows the Tamil Nadu government’s announcement of a Rs. 500 crore development plan for the region around Kudankulam. A note in the budget document stated that the allocation would be used to provide relief and rehabilitation to “project-affected” people of the area.

India on Thursday dismissed as "baseless" the reports here about radiation leaks at the yet-to-be-commissioned Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, saying it has a robust regulatory mechan

Leading environmentalists yesterday urged the Indian government to protect Sri Lanka from the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, as it had developed leaks even before being commissioned.

Until five years ago, Abdul Razzak and his band of sand miners had it easy.

Time to strengthen its prey base

The recent wildlife census conducted at Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) shows a significant increase in the predator population and signals the need to strengthen its prey base or herbivore population. When the survey team crossed Rettaikaradu area in Thirukkurunkudi range, the members saw a panther, a ‘shy animal’, taking rest under a shade and another team, which was trekking near Maanjolai above Manimuthar dam, saw a panther standing on a rock at a distance.

Centre turns down protesters’ plea for White Paper

The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) has warned that its anti-nuke protestors would lay siege to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project site if the Centre commissions the first two reactors in “haste and secrecy”. A statement from PMANE said the official machinery, which had imposed artificial power cuts in the area with the ulterior motive of commissioning KKNPP early, had also filed hundreds of cases against people who were resorting to non-violent agitation against the upcoming nuclear complex.

As four more of Government Siddha Medical College test positive

Four students of the Government Siddha Medical College have tested positive to dengue fever, raising the on-campus tally to 12. Students have been working closely with health authorities to contain the outbreak of the disease in pockets of the district. A final year postgraduate student, Kaathavarayan from Aranthaangi, currently under observation in the intensive care unit, has also tested positive for typhoid, a water-borne disease.

The National Fishermen Forum (NFF) on Sunday decided to observe Monday as the National Day of Protest against the commissioning of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project.

A resolution adopted at the general body of the forum said that the commissioning of the project would ruin the livelihood of hundreds of fishermen in southern coastal districts of Tamil Nadu. Several cases had been filed against the fishermen who held peaceful agitations. The Tamil Nadu government should immediately withdraw the cases and arrest warrants against those protesting against the nuclear project.