Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy arrives to hold talks with Koodankulam protestors over nuclear plant

CHENNAI: Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy arrived here today en route to Koodankulam to hold talks with the locals who are agitating for the past 10 days against the proposed nuclear plant there.

"All safety measures in the plant are intact. We are hopeful that we will be able to convince the people and allay their fears over the plant," he told reporters.

Narayanasamy has been deputed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Koodankulam to talk to the people agitating against the project.

Singh's action came after he spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa yesterday seeking her guidance to resolve the issue after she shot off a letter to him, accusing the Centre of "abdicating" its responsibilities to address the safety concerns of the people.

Jayalalithaa had written to the Prime Minister, asking him to halt the project till the issue is settled.

The agitation against the project has intensified since late last month after the authorities announced that the first of the two 1x1000 MWe reactors set up at the coastal village of Koodankulam would be commissioned in December.