Nuclear Corp now turns to catchy jingles to push Koodankulam

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Catchy jingles aired on two FM radio stations instead of dull and drab facts - this is the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd's new effort to convince the locals around the Koodankulam project that the atomic power plant is not bad after all.

"In an attempt to reach out to people, we have decided to air two one minute jingles on Suryan FM and Hello FM radio stations in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts as a part of public awareness programme," said a senior NPCIL official preferring anonymity.

The NPCIL have approved two foot tapping jingles of one minute each with messages that nuclear power is reliable as against other energy sources like thermal/wind/hydro and about the importance of atomic power for nation building.

"The idea is to catch the people's mind space which was earlier lost to the anti-nuclear activists," NPCIL officials said.

A new, energised print and visual media blitz is what NPCIL officials are planning to counter the anti-nuke propaganda based on "lies, untruths and unscientific claims".

The radio jingle is a very low budget campaign, to 'test the air' as it were. The campaign will be for a month, an official said.

Officials now reluctantly admit that they had perhaps committed an error by not taking the anti-Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant propaganda seriously.

Work at the plant site came to a standstill last month after protests by villagers intensified on safety grounds. Roads have been blocked and the local administration has advised the KNPP staff to sit tight inside their homes, fearing violence.

The NPCIL by then had completed the hot run of the first reactor and was gearing up for loading the real fuel.

In nuclear power reactor parlance, hot run refers to the testing of reactor systems and pipelines using dummy fuel - which is similar to the real one but without uranium.

NPCIL is building two 1,000 MW nuclear power reactors with Russian technology and equipment in Koodankulam, around 650 km from Chennai at an outlay of around Rs.13,170 crore.

Meanwhile, officials are relieved as being able to circulate occasionally the coolant water inside the reactor and the pipelines thereby avoiding the risk of corrosion.

"There is no risk of corrosion. Everything seems fine. We are able to circulate the coolant water occasionally," NPCIL official said.

Earlier there was some speculations if the pipes could get damaged by rust if water was not circulated.