The hardest part in putting up even the most modern nuclear power plant lies in convincing the people who live closest to them as they naturally have the gravest doubts about accidents and their possible fallout. The Koodankulam nuclear power plant, all set to go on stream in Tamil Nadu, is a test case of how governments must be a lot more proactive in educating people on the safety aspects of modern nuclear reactors that are far more secure than the 50-year-old Fukushima plant, left devastated in Japan’s devastating earthquake-tsunami last year.
While the Tamil Nadu government has done a lot to allay genuine fears, what the agitation (briefly threatening to spin out of control) represents is the ease with which large groups can be organised into an effective campaign against anything nuclear. India, with its nuclear fuel route opened up after the landmark 2008 Indo-US deal, is determined to substantially raise its low component of nuclear power (under three per cent) as it’s clean and has none of the deleterious effects of burning fossil fuels like coal. Koodankulam must therefore succeed, so too must Jaitapur.
However misconceived the objections may be, the Centre has no option but to do all that it can to overcome them, given the considerable misgivings and scepticism even among otherwise well-educated people. Otherwise all nuclear plants on the anvil will face the same troubles as Koodankulam in taking in fuel to attain criticality.