4 member expert committee on KNPP safety to meets today

CHENNAI: The fourmember expert committee constituted by the Tamil Nadu government to look into the safety aspects of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) and the fears of locals about the project meeting here on Friday. ‘We are meeting on Friday and will try to complete the task as early as possible,’ M R Srinivasan, the former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and heading the committee said. He told newspersons that the committee, in this fi rst meeting, would review what had happened in the last four months, before deciding on the meeting with anti-nuclear activists and begin efforts to allay the fears of the local people in Tirunelveli district. He said the state government has not specifi ed any time frame but the committee would try to complete the task as early as possible. After the Central team interacted with the local people and those who were opposed to the nuclear project and submitted its report, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced the constitution of the four-member committee to take a fi nal call on the project. The other members of the committee are D Arivu Oli and S Iniyan, Professors of Anna University and L N Vijayaraghavan, a retired IAS offi cer. Though the government had announced the formation of the committee on February nine, it could not meet immediately as the members had prior commitments. Asked about the Russian Ambassador to India Alexander M Kadakin recent statement that the Russian nuclear scientists now at Kudankulam should not remain idle and they are needed else where Srinivasan said that was a genuine concern. ‘It would be unfortunate if the Russian Scientists pull out at this stage.’ he said. It would be a set back if the Scientists pull out, but they may not do so, he hoped. The Russian side is very cooperative. he added. The Committee’s decision is being anxiously awaited as the plant built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) with Russian collaboration, would generate 1000 MW and Tamil Nadu would get its share of around 750 MW, once it is commissioned. This would help the government to tide over the power crisis. The plant could not be commissioned as schedule by the end of December due to protests by local people, who expressed fears about their safety. The Tamil Nadu government took a stand that the plant could not be commissioned until the centre allayed the fears of the local people.