The People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMNAE) has requested the UPA coalition partner DMK to quit the Government at the Centre ‘if it did not scrap altogether' the Kudankulam nuclear power plant.

Speaking to newspersons here, Dr S.P. Udayakumar, Coordinator, PMANE, said the composition of the expert committee on Kudankulam announced on Thursday has left much to be desired.

The people's movement had requested the Centre to include their representatives also on the committee, which seems to have been ignored. As of now, the committee is slated to include representatives from various disciplines including radiation safety, reactor safety, oncology, fisheries and nuclear waste management.

All of them drawn from institutions affiliated to either the State or Central Governments, a fact that has not inspired confidence among the affected population in and around the project site, Dr Udayakumar said. “We have already told the Centre that the work on the project need to be scrapped before we can allow ourselves to cooperate with any Central initiative aimed at settling the issue,” he added.

At Kudankulam, the authorities have thrown to the winds basic cautionary measures such as mock drills and evacuation exercises that need to observed before loading the reactor fuel roads. Dr Udayakumar has led a team of PMANE to Kerala where he met the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, the Opposition leader, Mr V. S. Achuthanandan, and various other political leaders.

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