Jaitapur N-project affected will be given jobs, says Centre

At least one member from every family living in villages near the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant in coastal Maharashtra will get a job in the plant when it becomes operational, the Central government has claimed.

Moreover, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) was spending Rs two crore in improving the civic amenities in four villages, V Narayanasamy, minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Responding to a query, the minister said jobs for the locals would mostly be in the C or D grade category.

Training programme

In addition, there is a training programme to upgrade local people’s skill level so that they can be absorbed later. The government has acquired 938 acres of land owned by 2,035 individuals for the project.

An “in principle” approval was accorded to the NPCIL for locating six units of light water reactor, each of 1,650 MW capacity, at Jaitapur in technical collaboration with French company Areva, which will supply the reactor and fuel. Work on the first two units in Jaitapur is expected to begin in 12th plan period.

Slew of sops

Locals will also be hired as daily wage contractors in the nuclear power plant.

Furthermore, the nuclear operator (NPCIL) has several welfare programmes on vocational training for the locals besides providing a group of eligible people a lumpsum amount Rs 5 lakh each though they are not land-owners but affected by the mega nuclear park project in one way or another.

A fatter compensation package for land owners is also under discussion with Maharashtra government.

Quizzed on the safety of Areva’s evolutionary pressurised reactor, he said it was an offshoot of Konvoi reactor of Germany, which has been a proven technology.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority of France has testified and verified it.

“It is a generation-3 plus reactor, which will have more than seven layers of safety parts. It is the latest technology, which has been built in other parts of the world and therefore we are going to to have it,” he asserted.