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.

CM says agriculture production in the state crossed 10 mn tonnes in 2011-12 and it had won the Krishi Karman award for 2012-13

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced schemes worth Rs 984.7 crore aimed at boosting agricultural production in the state besides ensuring fair prices for agri produce in the market. The state expects these projects to help it achieve self-sufficiency in foodgrain. Chief minister J Jayalalithaa said agriculture production in the state crossed 10 million tonnes in 2011-12 and it had won the Krishi Karman award for 2012-13.

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.

Says plant is safe and secure, necessary for economic growth

SC today dismissed a plea against commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear plant. The plant is safe and secure and is necessary for larger public interest and economic growth of the country, the apex court said. Nuclear power plants are needed in the country for the present and future generations, it added.

The Cabinet Committee on Security has cleared the decks for building two more 1,000 MW nuclear power units at Kudankulam by giving the go-ahead to the Russian offer of about Rs 40,000 crore for the project days before it lapsed.

The decision came right after the Department of Atomic Energy informed the government that the first reactor in Kudankulam would go critical this month. The movement on the project is also vital to the tough stand the Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu has taken against protesters in a bid to meet its poll claims to improve the power situation in the state.

People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy to lay siege to township tomorrow

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project has “successfully completed” the mandatory penultimate tests before commissioning its first unit by testing an array of steam relief valves under operating pressure and temperature. The tests, started on last Friday to evaluate the performance of high-precision steam relief valves at operating pressure and temperature, were completed on Monday.

Lankan govt has also protested and voiced reservations against the project

Indian and Sri Lankan environment activists are planning a series of joint protests against the proposed Kudankulam nuclear plant in southern Tamil Nadu.
“Several environmental groups are protesting in that country (Sri Lanka), too. We are in touch with the environmental organisations there on a regular basis. Last week, one of them had organised a protest in front of the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka and we are looking to take this tie-up forward,” said M Pushpanarayan, leader of the Tamil Nadu-based People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), which has completed 583 days of continuous protests against the project.

As flow of funds for Kudankulam nuclear power plant protests come under scanner, a whopping Rs 30 lakh transfer from London to the bank account of a woman, whose husband is linked to the stir, has led to suspicions prompting police to file a case against her.

The case against Ambika under Sec 102 CrPC has been registered by police after a branch of Canara bank here reported the transfer of Rs 29,98,782 into her savings bank account, Police said today.

With the much-delayed Kudankulam nuclear power project expected to be commissioned by April, anti-KNPP activists on Monday revived their protest by laying a siege to the plant through sea.

Defying prohibitory orders, fishermen from Kanyakumari, Tuticorin and Tirunelveli districts came in boats with black flags hoisted atop them and laid siege about 500 metres from the plant.

Two public interest litigation petitions have been filed in the Madras High Court Bench here — one challenging a notification issued by the Centre on October 15, laying down guidelines for tourism

Pages