The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, has reiterated the Government's stand that work on the Kudankulam nuclear power project should resume only after the Centre allays the fears of the people on safety issues.

In a statement released to the media, the Chief Minister said that the Centre should immediately take steps to resolve the issue rather than blame the State Government.

The Kudankulam project at Tirunelveli is being implemented by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and is under the purview of the Centre. Work on the 1,000-MW project started in 2001 and is reaching completion. However, the people in the region have been worried over safety issues and have been demanding that the project be dropped, particularly after the tsunami in Japan a few months ago hit the Fukushima nuclear power project, leading to radiation.

Following representations from the State Government and a delegation led by the Tamil Nadu Finance Minister, Mr O. Panneerselvam, which met the Prime Minister on October 7, the Centre had assured that a committee with representatives from the people protesting against the project, the State Government and the Centre would be constituted to look into the concerns.

Ms Jayalalithaa said in the statement that the Centre has not taken any steps in this regard. Also, letters from the Prime Minister to the State Government have been released to the media even before they reached her office.

A letter written on October 4 was released to the media on October 7 but she had reportedly not received the letter. The State Government had requested a copy of the letter by fax on October 9, and it had reached her office on the 10{+t}{+h}.

The media had published reports on October 12 of another letter written to her by the Prime Minister, but the Chief Minister had not reportedly received the letter till date.

Mr V. Narayanasamy, the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and the Prime Minister's Office, has said that the committee has not been constituted because the State Government has not forwarded the names of the State Government representatives.

The people in the region are protesting only because the Centre has not taken steps to address the issues. The State Government is concerned that the Centre is acting in a manner aimed to shift the blame on to State Government, Ms Jayalalithaa said in the statement.

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