By IANS,
Mumbai : A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s assurance, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) Thursday constituted an expert panel to dispel fears on the 2,000 MW Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu, an official said here.
The 15-member expert group will interact with the officials of the state government and representatives of the people and activists of Tirunelveli district who have been opposing the KNPP on various safety-related issues.
The prime minister, while returning from South Africa Wednesday, assured that the expert group on safety at KNPP would be set up by today (Thursday).
“This expert group will explain the factual position on various aspects of the KNPP and will also dispel apprehensions of some sections of the local people on the issue,” the official said.
It comprises top academicians, scientists, doctors and engineers specialising in sectors like environmental science, nuclear radiation, nuclear reactors design and safety, regulatory aspects, nuclear waste, oncology, seismology, oceanography, fisheries and thermal ecology.
“I do feel we can give reasonable satisfaction to all the stakeholders who are worried about the safety of the atomic energy plant at Kudankulam,” the prime minister said while returning from Pretoria after the India-Brazil-South Africa Summit.
The DAE official said that the Tamil Nadu government will be requested to provide an appropriate platform to enable the expert group’s interactions with government officials and representatives of people.