The Tamil Nadu Government will immediately set up an expert committee to look into the Kudankulam atomic power plant issue, said the Chief Minister, Ms Jayalalithaa.
Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address, she told the Assembly that the committee will look into the safety aspects and the concerns of the people in the region. The State Government will decide on its further course of action based on the expert committee's report, she said.
The move comes on the heels of the recently-concluded series of meetings held by a committee constituted by the Union Government.
Ms Jayalalithaa said that the Nuclear Power Corporation Ltd had started work on the 2 X 1000-MW atomic power project in Tirunelveli district in 2001 following an agreement between India and the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1988. When nearly 95 per cent of the work had been completed, the people in the region had expressed concerns relating to safety of the project and had started demonstrating against the project from September.
The State Government, which was sensitive to the concerns of the public, had written to the Prime Minister to address the fears of the public before proceeding further. The Cabinet had also adopted a resolution to this effect.
The Centre had constituted a 15-member committee which discussed the concerns relating to the project with three representatives of those opposing the project.
The committee had met on November 8, 18 and December 15 last year, and submitted a report addressing the people's concerns and a 77-page report on the safety of the project.
The expert committee constituted by the Centre had also met on January 31 this year, in which one of the three members of representatives opposing the project participated. The committee submitted another report and concluded its work.
On the power situation in the State, the Chief Minister said that the State Government was expediting new projects.
By June, an additional 1,950 MW and by October another 600 MW of generation will be available, and the power shortage will come down in stages. Adequate power will be available from mid-2013.