Halt Kudankulam project till misgivings are cleared, Jaya tells PM

CHENNAI: With Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa seeking a halt on Koodankulam nuclear power project in the face of rising protests against it, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday decided to send MoS in the PMO, V Narayanasamy, to the state on Tuesday to meet state government officials and others to address the issue.

Narayanasamy will meet the Tamil Nadu chief secretary to get an idea about the protests, which are going on at the project site for some time, the sources said.

Sources said the prime minister spoke to Jayalalithaa after she sent him a letter seeking a halt to the project.

Jaya's move to send a letter to the PM energised those opposed to nuclear power. Some of the 127 people fasting at Idinthakarai near the power project were shifted to a hospital on the ninth day of the fast on Monday, while protest meetings spread to other parts of Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Tuticorin districts.

The chief minister's request, in a letter to the PM, to halt the project until concerns of the villagers were addressed, came in this backdrop. "Community leaders and leaders of the struggle who have gone to attend meetings in different locations are assembling here tonight and we will announce our decision on Tuesday," Co-coordinator of the People's Movement against Nuclear Energy SP Udayakumar told ET following the chief minister's letter to the Centre.

The Indo-Russian Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project being established at an outlay of over 13,000 crore is close to its hot run, but authorities have not announced dates for commissioning, following widespread protests in the region.

Jayalalithaa, who had last week requested protestors to call off their opposition changed tack by writing to the PM. In her letter she said it was, "surprising to note that till date no responsible minister or concerned higher authorities from the Government of India have visited the people or even attempted to assuage their misgivings. It is unfortunate to see that the Centre is abdicating its responsibilities. The PM should have sent a high-level team to allay the fears..."