Anti nuke activists hope for breakthrough in meet with PM

Chennai, Oct 6 (PTI) Ahead of their meeting with Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, activists protesting against
the Koodankulam power project in south Indian state Tamil Nadu
Thursday expressed hope that their talks would be fruitful.
"We know where the Prime Minister stands. Yet we will meet
him tomorrow, submit our memorandum and see what happens. Of
course we do hope to achieve a breakthrough in this," Convenor
of People's Movement against Atomic Power S P Udayakumar told
PTI.
Asked whether their threat to revive their stir and make
it state-wide from October 9 if work on the commissioning of
the plant was not suspended would continue, he said, "Whatever
maybe the outcome of the meeting, we have to tell our people
that. So we will surely meet them on the planned day."
On September 22, the state Cabinet had adopted a
resolution requesting the central government to halt work on
the Indo-Russian project till the apprehensions of the people
were allayed. The first of two 1x1000 MWe reactors will be
commissioned in December.
The fast by 127 persons at Idinthakarai was withdrawn
after Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa promised to adopt a
resolution in the Cabinet and arrange a meeting with the Prime
Minister.
She had written to the Prime Minister, urging him to halt
the project till safety concerns were addressed. Singh had
also deputed his ministry colleague V Narayanasamy to the
protest site to have a dialogue with the protestors.
Singh had recently said the central government would sit
with all enlightened leadership of Tamil Nadu and find a
"practical solution" to the controversy over the project, but
maintained that atomic energy is the energy of the future and
its importance cannot be undermined. PTI DSJ
MNS