1st unit of Kudankulam nuclear power plant to be commissioned as soon as possible

Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu, India), Mar 20 (PTI) A day after the government of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu gave its go ahead for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP), work at the Indo Russian nuclear project in Tirunelveni district in the state started in full swing with officials expressing hope that the first unit would be commissioned "as soon as possible." "We are happy that the government is with us. All our 1,000 employees, including Russian specialists, have moved to the site. We started our work yesterday itself," KNPP Site Director M Kasinath Balaji told PTI. Thanking India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for their efforts to allay locals' fears over safety issues, he said, "We will put all our efforts to make up for lost time and try to commission the first unit as soon as possible." India's Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Dr Sukumar Banerjee said there was no damage to the plant at Kudankulam after work came to a standstill for nearly eight months due to protests by locals spearheaded by People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE). "We are very happy work has started again and there is full force today. The plant is definitely very safe. There is no damage to the plant," he said. A Russian engineer Marinev Alexander said, "Today is a special day for us." Security in and around Kudankulam and nearby villages has been stepped up after the Chief Minister yesterday announced her cabinet decision to go ahead with the project. The situation is being monitored by senior police officials and several companies of state police have been pressed into service to ensure smooth functioning at the plant. Meanwhile, PMANE convenor S P Udayakumar and associate M Pushparayan along with some others have begun an indefinite fast in Idinthakarai, the epicentre of the protests, opposing the arrest of 10 of their activists yesterday. Their demands include withdrawal of the cabinet decision, a thorough probe by geologists, hydrologists and oceanographers into the safety issues of the plant, release of the Inter-Governmental Agreement signed by India and Russia on liability and conducting of safety and evacuation drills in the 30-km radius of the project. PTI