The Tamil Nadu Cabinet on Monday today gave its nod to open the Kudankulam nuclear power plant.
The State Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, announced this after chairing the meeting with her Cabinet colleagues.
Work on the 2,000-MW atomic power plant, which started in 2001, has been stalled because of public protests since last September.
The State Government has said the concerns of the people would first be addressed before the project is implemented. After analysing the reports submitted by various committees, including the one set up by the State Government, it was found that plant was completely safe and may not pose a threat to local people, the Chief Minister said in a statement.
The chief minister also announced that Rs 500 crore would be allocated for social development of areas in and around Kudankulam.
Today's Cabinet decision was taken based on the positive recommendations of the four-member committee set up by the chief minister to look in to the fears and concerns of the protestors against the plant.
The committee consisted of Professor M.R. Srinivasan, former chairman, Atomic Energy Commission; Prof D. Arivuoli, Department of Physics, Anna University; Dr S. Iniyan, Professor and Director, Institute for Energy Studies, Anna University, who is also the convenor of the committee; and Mr L.N. Vijayaraghavan, a former IAS officer of the rank of Chief Secretary.
The committee in its recent report said that in the Kudankulam region, there has been no major earthquake or Tsunami. To allay the fears of the local people on safety, the Government has taken all measures.
The committee appointed by the Union Government has also gone in to in details on all issues pertaining to the concerns of the local people
The release said that the State Government would extend all its support to the immediate opening of the plant, which is located in Tirunelveli district.