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print versionJanuary 30, 2013
People in Koodankulam have been peacefully protesting against the upcoming Koodankulam nuclear power plant, which is being pushed by the government flouting its own norms of safety, environmental safeguards and emergency preparations.
In the wake of news and rumors regarding leaks and technical problems in Koodankulam leading to delays, 50 eminent citizens from different walks of life have signed the following statement (also attached as a Word file) calling for an independent review of safety in Koodankulam reactor.
The signatories include former Chief of Naval Staff L Ramdas, former Planning Commission member SP Shukla, scientists PM Bhargava, MV Ramana and Vineeta Bal, social scientists Romila Thapar, Sumit and Tanika Sarkar, Rajeev Bhargav, , Manoranjan Mohanty, Achin Vanaik, Zoya Hasan and Manisha Sethi, artist Vivan Sundaram and Sheba Chhachhi, and many other scholars and social activists.
The full list of signatories appears at the bottom.
In view of the public importance of the issue, could you please carry the statement in full in your paper, channel or wire service? Publication of the entire list of signatories on your website would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Praful Bidwai
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Eminent Citizens’ Statement on Koodankulam
There are disturbing reports that the commissioning of the first Russian-designed Koodankulam nuclear reactor, under construction amidst mass protests in Southern Tamil Nadu, has been further delayed because of serious technical problems. The commissioning has been postponed fortnight after fortnight, without explanation from the Department of Atomic Energy or Nuclear Power Corporation of India, and with a bland assertion by DAE secretary RK Sinha that “no major issue†lies behind the delays. This lack of transparency has fuelled rumours that there have been leaks and other mishaps at the plant, which have resulted in physical injuries and even death to workers, and a ban on the entry of contract labour.
The rumours have caused great insecurity and panic among the local people, who have long expressed their apprehensions regarding the reactors’ safety, which the project authorities have failed to assuage. The authorities have followed a policy of non-transparency, and refused to make public the Site Evaluation Report, Safety Analysis Report and the Emergency Preparedness Plan. The plant has undergone substantive design-related, regulatory and administrative changes over two decades, which would alter its environmental impact. It would only be prudent to have an independent enquiry into its safety and environmental impact before commissioning the first reactor.
An immediate impartial enquiry by independent experts into Koodankulam is an urgent necessity, pending which the reactor should not be allowed to attain criticality.
SP Shukla
Vivan Sundaram
Geeta Kapoor
Sadanand Menon
Romila Thapar
Praful Bidwai
Achin Vanaik
Admiral L. Ramdas
Anil Chaudhary
P K Sundaram
Wilfred D’Costa
Ambrose Pinto
Abey George
Abhishek Shrivastava
Sheba Chhachi
Beena Sarvar
M V Ramana
Harsh Kapoor
Sumit Sarkar
Tanika Sarkar
Thomas Kocherry
Rajeev Bhargav
EAS Sarma
MG Devasahayam
Arati Chokshi
Sudhir Vombatkere
Ashish Kothari
Rajni Bakshi
Nityanand Jayaraman
VIneeta Bal
Vimochana Forum for Women’s Rights
Kamal CHenoy
Anuradha Chenoy
Kavitha Kurungati
Dilnavaz Variava
Naresh Dadhich
Sheetal Balani
Rohan D’Souza
Himanshu Thakkar
Usha Jayakumar
Aruna Rodrigues
Mohan Rao
Deepak Nayyar
Rammanohar Reddy
Manoranjan Mohanty
Jairus Banaji
S P Shukla
Maneesha Sethi
Sanjay BIswas
Zoya Hasan
