KUDANKULAM : Activists protesting against thenuclear plant at Kudankulam brushed aside the justifications by former president Abdul Kalam on the safety of the nuclear plant and termed them as 'old wine in a new bottle.' They also and stated that they would not hold talks with him.
Protestors also maintained that their agitation against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) would continue till the plant is shut down. "We respect Abdul Kalam, but he has stated his stand in favour of the nuclear plant. There is no point in holding talks with him," said S P Udayakumar, who spearheads protests in the coastal village of Idinthakarai near Kudankulam. Even before Kalam landed in Kudankulam, activists from various organisations who had formed an umbrella body named People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) clarified that they were not keen on meeting the former president.
"We have already stated that we would meet him if he approaches us. But, we will certainly not talk about the Kudankulam nuclear plant. How can we talk to him when he has expressed his position in support of the plant?" asked Udayakumar.
Activists maintained that Kalam's visit or the justifications he offered on the safety of the plant would not bring about change in the perception of the agitating people. The agitators said that in fact, whatever Kalam said on Sunday after visiting the nuclear facility was nothing new. "Not just on safety angle, he failed to offer proper clarifications on various other aspects that are a cause of concern for the villagers," Udayakumar said.
He also refused to buy the statement of Kalam that waste disposal would be safe in the plant. "There are three types of waste to be generated from the plant. While NPCIL officials are giving a different explanation on the mode of waste disposal, scientists at the project site offer another explanation which is again different from what Kalam says," he said. The only solution to the imbroglio is to shut down the plant, he reiterated.
The activists, along with villagers in and around Kudankulam are staging a series of protests for the past several months.
The recent phase of protests at Kudankulam has entered the 21st day. Various political parties and organisations from Tamil Nadu as well as Kerala have expressed solidarity with the protesting villagers.
Meanwhile, the activists have also alleged that a person who was in no way connected with the ongoing protests was included in the expert panel formed by the state government to represent the protestors. PMANE had suggested M Pushparayan, convener of Coastal People's Federation and M P Jesuraj as members of the panel. But Udayakumar alleged that another person was inducted into the panel as people's representative.
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