CHENNAI: Upset with the Tamil Nadu government for going back on its assurances, the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) on Monday announced that it would resume an indefinite hunger st

Upset with the Tamil Nadu government for going back on its assurances, the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) on Monday announced that it would resume an indefinite hunger strike from May 1 against the two 1,000 MW plants at Kudankulam.

"We have decided to go on hunger protest once again from May 1 onwards as the state government has gone against its assurances given to us. A large number of women will be participating in the hunger protest," PMANE leader M. Pushparayan told agencies over phone from Idinthakarai, a fishing village near the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP).

Expressing satisfaction over the progress in preparing the first reactor of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project for commissioning, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Jain has said the KKNPP was waiting for the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's clearance for the opening of the reactor pressure vessel for inspecting the internal components' performance and subsequent loading of enriched uranium fuel rods.

An 18-member team of Russian scientists from Atomstroy Export and top NPCIL officials visited the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in order to speed up the commissioning of Reactor-1.

Atomstroy Export is a Russian engineering company of the state-owned ‘Rosatom’ Corporation involved in constructing nuclear reactors abroad. It has constructed two VVER Reactors, each of 1000 MW at Koodankulam.

Colombo Sri Lanka today said it had not objected to the Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu and underlined that India has every right to use nuclear technology in meeting the requirements of energy.

‘‘Sri Lanka has not brought up the issue of the safety of Kudankulam power plant against India’s voting at the 19th session of the UNHRC,’’ Lanka’s Atomic Energy Authority said dismissing media reports that Colombo was against the project.

KARAIKAL: The Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant will start production in 45 days, Union Minister of State V Narayanasamy said here on Sunday.

The Radhapuram panchayat union that encompasses Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project on Tuesday thanked Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for having taken initiatives to ensure the early commissioning of the project in a bid to obliterate power cut prevailing across the State.

A resolution was passed in the panchayat union council meeting held on Tuesday. Fourteen of the sixteen councillors who attended the meeting backed the resolution as only two – Sahaya Initha of ward 13 (Vijayapathi) and Pitchai of ward 10 (Kudankulam)

Chennai: Sri Lanka’s stand on the upcoming Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu has triggered a volley of protests from pro-Tamil outfits, including some which had taken an anti-nuclear s

Drinking water schemes seeking to serve 44.36 lakh people in eight districts will be implemented at a cost of over 1,500 crore in 2012-13, Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development K.P.Munusamy told the Assembly on Monday.

Replying to the debate on the allocation for departments under him, the Minister said the schemes, to be implemented in Cuddalore, Villupuram, Pudukottai, Theni, Sivaganga, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Tirunelveli district, would benefit 8,134 habitations in five Municipal Corporations,

On the Kudankulam issue, Mr.Chidambaram said the decision to commission the plant was final and nobody could change it. As a democratic country, we have heard the voices of dissent, but agitations and debates cannot go on endlessly. Based on the reports of the expert committees, the Centre and the State government have decided to commission the plant. Though 2011-12 was a difficult year, the Centre has come out with a budget which seeks to achieve a growth rate of 7.6 per cent .