JOIN USThe revival of the agitation against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, which has unfortunately claimed one life in police firing, highlights the difficulties involved in creating a consensus on issues and projects which, rightly or wrongly, have a bearing on the lives and livelihood of large numbers of people.
The renewed protests have come when the plant officials are making preparations to load fuel into the reactor. After the Madras high court had cleared the commissioning of the plant and the Tamil Nadu government had given its go-ahead earlier this year it was expected that there would not be any further obstruction to operationalising it. But opposition, which mainly had three streams, continued at various levels. One was the naysaying of activists who, by conviction, are against nuclear energy. The second and more important stream was the fears of the local community. The third was the alleged involvement and support of foreign agencies in the agitation. The government has hinted at this, though it has been stoutly denied by the leaders of the agitation.
The government and the nuclear establishment had mounted an information campaign to remove the fears and apprehensions of the local people, but this does not seem to have been effective. Such is the distrust of the state in most parts of the country that official words and explanations carry little credibility. Highfalutin technical arguments do not sway people who have elemental worries about the safety and security of their lives and environment. The authorities failed to read the momentum of the protest that was building up in the last few weeks and which exploded this week. The police also mishandled the situation with the use of force and this could only further alienate the people.
There is no escape from the fact that nuclear energy will be an important part of the country’s energy basket in the coming years. Tamil Nadu is a power-starved state and Kudankulam will contribute much to reduce the deficit. The best and most informed view is that there is no locational or technological hazard arising from the plant for the local community. This has to be conveyed effectively to the people at the grassroots level so that they accept the need for the project. An amicable resolution of the situation at Kudankulam is also important for the future of other nuclear plants which are being planned in other parts of the country.