[Reader-list] Kudankulam: meeting calls for eschewing nuclear power

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Kudankulam: meeting calls for eschewing nuclear power
Special Correspondent
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, October 3, 2012 – The Hindu
‘Agitation against nuclear power plant coming to a natural end’

The agitation against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant will soon see
its end proving that even illiterate masses can influence the nation’s
energy policy, Mira Udayakumar has said. Addressing a human chain and
solidarity meeting organised by the Anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power
Plant Campaign Solidarity Council on the Shangumughom beach here on
Tuesday evening, Ms. Udayakumar, wife of P. Udayakumar who heads the
agitation at Kudankulam, said the notion that the illiterate cannot
influence policy changes will soon be proved wrong. The people of
Idinthakarai who are on the warpath for a year, are sensitive and duly
educated on the problems to be created by the plant and hence cannot
be dubbed as illiterate. They are resolved to see a natural end to the
agitation and it is nearing too.
While scientists extol the virtues of nuclear power and tend to look
down on non-conventional energy sources, the fact is that they have
still not exploited such sources effectively and are hailing nuclear
power to suit the needs of the ruling class. The question that arises
is why go in for such a risky option when there are other safer ones
on hand, she asked.

Potent n-bomb
Thiruvananthapuram Archbishop of the Latin Catholic Church M.
Susaipakiam said that science and spirituality should go hand-in-hand
for heralding developments in society. Unless the achievements are
value-based, it will be difficult to foresee the problems that they
will bring in their trail. Since the country’s total dependence on
nuclear power is three per cent, it can decide to relinquish that
option. The plutonium waste to be generated from the nuclear power
station will be as potent as a nuclear bomb. Keralites had the firm
resolution to turn down a proposal for setting up a plant here 25
years ago, but those in Tamil Nadu did not have it. Foisting false
cases on the agitators is unbecoming of a democracy, he said.

False campaign
Anti-nuclear activist N. Subramaniam, who chaired the meeting, said
that the nuclear lobby was running a false campaign that the Chernobyl
tragedy in 1986 in Russia had cost only 17 lives. It has been
officially clarified that about 10 lakh people died during the
post-tragedy period due to cancer and other diseases caused by the
radiation and the government had to spend Rs.12 lakh crore. The same
was true with Fukushima too. The government had to spend Rs.3 lakh
crore to address the problems caused by the nuclear accident, he said.
The social and cultural activists as well as political leaders who
assembled on the beach formed a human chain and took the anti-nuclear
pledge. Kerala Catholic Youth Movement workers staged a play. Gandhian
P. Gopinathan Nair, Mathew T. Thomas, MLA; former Ministers N.K.
Premachandran and Benoy Viswom, Janata Dal leader A. Neelalohitadasan
Nadar, environmental activist R.V.G. Menon, Swami Sookshmananda, poet
Sugathakumari, Thampanoor Imam Hamza Moulavi, Fr. Eugene Pereira,
social activists Ninan Koshy and B.R.P. Bhaskar were present. Kerala
Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation president T. Peter welcomed
the gathering.