The security too has been tightened around the plant.
But the big question is: Will the Tamil Nadu government arrest Dr SP Udhaykumar, the face of the anti-nuclear plant protests? There is uncertainty among villagers who are protesting at the site of the plant.
Yesterday, they refused to hold talks with two local police officers who had come in their personal capacities to end the deadlock. The villagers asked the police to send non-natives for talks about ending the protests.
Dr Udhayakumar is on an indefinite hunger strike at village of at Idinthakarai, which has for seven months been the epicentre of the villagers and fishermen who say the Kudankulam plant is not safe.
A campaigner against nuclear energy for years, the recent Fukushima tragedy struck the right chord with the masses and catapulted him to be the face of the anti-nuclear campaign at Kudankulam.And with Jayalalithaa's U-turn, the state has now turned on the heat on Udhayakumar who is facing charges of sedition, and waging war against the country. "I have not stolen anyone's property, or money. I'm not afraid of arrest. Am I a criminal or a terrorist?" he said. (Watch: Who is S P Udhayakumar?)
Scientists and engineers have entered the plant, escorted by the police, to get to work. The Tamil Nadu government cleared the project on Monday, after initially trying to block it.
The 5000 villagers who are protesting against the setting up of the nuclear power plant are facing tough times. There is no power supply since Tuesday morning at Idinthakarai, the ground zero for the anti-nuclear protests. Villagers have blamed police for the power cut; they also complain there is shortage of drinking water, food and milk.
Prohibitory orders have been clamped and there is tight security near the plant.
Those who live near the project remain worried about their safety and refer often to last year's disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. "People within 30 km radius of the Kudankulam plant have not been given any disaster training," Mr Udhayakumar said yesterday. "Without doing this, they cannot load the nuclear fuel... the Central Government and the State Government would be held liable for this criminal activity if they decide to load the fuel rods without preparing the people," he added.
In September, the state Cabinet had passed a resolution demanding that the Prime Minister order a halt of operations at Kudankulam till those living in the area were convinced that they are not at risk. Dr Manmohan Singh then deputed experts and ministers to assess the plant and answer the questions of villagers. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had also commissioned her own panel of experts to study the plant. Her clearance for the project came right after an important by-election in the Tirunelveli district, where the plant is located. In an attempt to pacify the area, she announced a Rs 500 crore package to improve roads and infrastructure in the area.
Dr Srikumar Banerjee, the Chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission said yesterday, "The nuclear community has learnt a lesson from this agitation... and that (we) need a much better connect with local people." He said that activists and villagers should be rest assured that the safety standards for the nuclear plant meet international standards. "A clear cut disaster management exists for the plant," he said.
The nuclear power project, worth Rs. 13,000 crores and being set up with assistance from Russia, will upon completion have six reactors, making this will India's largest power-generating complex. A pair of two 1,000 megawatt reactors will kickstart production.
The protesters, mostly fishermen from three districts, are worried that the seaside plant may damage the ecosystem with nuclear waste and ruin their livelihoods.
The Prime Minister's recent remarks that protests against Kudankulam were possibly receiving foreign funding provoked much anger among NGOs.
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