<p>Karnataka Minister for Fisheries Science and Technology Anand V Asnotikar has urged the Centre to relocate residents of five villages within the five-kilometre radius of the Kaiga Atomic Power Plant in Uttara Kannada district.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In his meeting with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) vice-chairman M Shashidar Reddy here on Friday, the minister said around 500 families residing in five villages like Balemani, Hartuga, Harur, Balase and Sulageri were seeking rehabilitation at the earliest.<br /><br />As these villages are falling within the sterilised zone of the nuclear plant and has no basic facilities, they should be relocated to other places by providing better amenities, he said in the memorandum submitted to the NDMA.<br /><br />“These villages are sandwiched between the atomic power plant on the one side and the Kali hydel power project and Western Ghats on the other. <br /><br />“Residents of these villages are therefore living in a constant state of panic. They don’t have an escape route in the event of a disaster, leave alone the possibility of a rescue team reaching them,” he said. <br /><br />Seeking early relocation, residents of these villages have been staging a dharna before the Karwar deputy commissioner’s office for the past 55 days, he said.<br /><br />Though Reddy explained to him that only residents living within the radius of 1.6 kilometre sterile zone can be rehabilitated, the minister asked him to consider the village residents as a special case. <br /><br />The minister said he would lead another delegation comprising villagers to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to explain their situation.<br /></p>
<p>Karnataka Minister for Fisheries Science and Technology Anand V Asnotikar has urged the Centre to relocate residents of five villages within the five-kilometre radius of the Kaiga Atomic Power Plant in Uttara Kannada district.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In his meeting with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) vice-chairman M Shashidar Reddy here on Friday, the minister said around 500 families residing in five villages like Balemani, Hartuga, Harur, Balase and Sulageri were seeking rehabilitation at the earliest.<br /><br />As these villages are falling within the sterilised zone of the nuclear plant and has no basic facilities, they should be relocated to other places by providing better amenities, he said in the memorandum submitted to the NDMA.<br /><br />“These villages are sandwiched between the atomic power plant on the one side and the Kali hydel power project and Western Ghats on the other. <br /><br />“Residents of these villages are therefore living in a constant state of panic. They don’t have an escape route in the event of a disaster, leave alone the possibility of a rescue team reaching them,” he said. <br /><br />Seeking early relocation, residents of these villages have been staging a dharna before the Karwar deputy commissioner’s office for the past 55 days, he said.<br /><br />Though Reddy explained to him that only residents living within the radius of 1.6 kilometre sterile zone can be rehabilitated, the minister asked him to consider the village residents as a special case. <br /><br />The minister said he would lead another delegation comprising villagers to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to explain their situation.<br /></p>
