Kudankulam: PM says vested interests played on anxieties

As the Tamil Nadu State Cabinet passed a resolution urging the Prime Minister to suspend work on the nuclear power plant at Kudankulam; Singh said that the State needed atomic energy to fuel its industrial growth. He, however, assured that the Union Government would ensure highest safety standards for the nuclear power plant.

“I am convinced that sooner or later the world will realize that there is no alternative to nuclear energy as an essential component of the energy needs of any country. I have no reason to believe that the leadership of Tamil Nadu will be an exception. There are anxieties and some vested interests are playing on that,” said Singh.

He was replying to questions on how the Union Government would deal with the protests over the nuclear power plant in Kudankulam in particular and elsewhere in the country in general.

The prime minister said the Union government would discuss with the State Government and “sit together with the enlightened leadership” of Tamil Nadu to find a “pragmatic” solution.