Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Monday announced her government’s decision to give the go-ahead for the “immediate” commissioning of the Koodankulam nuclear plant in Tirunelveli district. The state cabinet also allotted `500 crores for development of the area.
Ms Jayalalithaa said her government would take immediate steps to get the power plant commissioned, and resume work that got stalled after protests by the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy since September 2011.
A cold storage to store fish catch, construction of houses, laying of roads and repairing mechanised fishing boats of local fishermen will be taken up as part of the `500-crore development package.
In a bid to reassure people that the plant posed no risks, the CM said the expert teams of both the Centre and the state government had determined the reactors were safe. She noted the Centre’s 15-member team held four rounds of meetings with protesters and allayed their concerns. Their reports noted all safety norms were adhered to and that the Atomic Energy Commission approved the plant only after many tests. The state team also said there was no history of earthquakes in the area.