By IANS,
Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government should take action against those protesting against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), central Minister of State V. Narayanasamy said Saturday.
“The state police have booked 156 cases against the protestors and action has to be taken,” the minister in the Prime Minister’s Office told reporters.
“The protestors have taken law into their hands by preventing the plant’s operations,” he said.
According to him, the Tamil Nadu government was cooperating with the central government on the Kudankulam issue.
Atomic power plant operator Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) is building two 1,000 MW reactors with Russian technology at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district, around 650 km from here.
Villagers who have safety concerns have been protesting against the plant. They are also concerned about the long-term impact of the nuclear plant on the population.
Their agitation, spearheaded by People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy, has put a stop to the project work, delaying the commissioning of the first unit by several months.
In September, the Tamil Nadu cabinet passed a resolution asking the central government to stop all project related work till the fears of the locals about the plant were allayed.
Villagers are on fast at Idinthakarai for seven months but without permission from police.
Queried about the deportation of a German, Sonnteg Reiner Hermann, from Tamil Nadu, Narayanasamy said an investigation was on as he was in possession of the project site map.
On the issue of Russian engineers at Kudankulam remaining idle, he said India has told Moscow about the steps being taken to operationalise the plant.