The Tamil Nadu Government will convene a Cabinet meeting on Thursday to urge the Centre to stop work on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project till the concerns of the people in the region are addressed.
According to an official press release, the decision follows a representation by a delegation of protesters today requesting the State Government to intervene on their behalf.
The Chief Minister, Ms J.Jayalalithaa, agreed the Cabinet will pass a resolution urging the Centre to stop work on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project until the fears of the people living in the region are resolved.
Further, once the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, returns from his trip abroad on September 27, political representatives and social organisations led by Mr O. Paneerselvam, will seek an appointment with the Prime Minister to make a representation on this issue. Ms Jayalalithaa will also speak to Dr Singh over the phone, the release said.
The delegation representing the protesters has assured the Chief Minister, that they would give up their ongoing hunger strike. Mr V. Narayanasamy, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Prime Minister’s Office, who had visited the protesters on Tuesday also met with Ms Jayalalithaa. He had been deputed following a letter from the Chief Minister to the Prime Minister on Sunday requesting the Centre to stop work on the nuclear power project till the social concerns are resolved.
The coordinator of the protest against the nuclear power project, Mr S.P. Udhayakumar, told media persons after the meeting with the Chief Minister that they will call off their hunger strike following the Chief Minister’s assurance.
HUNGER STRIKE
He said 127 persons were on a hunger strike for the last 10 days at Idinthakarai village, at Tirunelveli, demanding the Centre scrap the nuclear power project. The delegation would meet with the protesters tomorrow and formally call off the hunger strike.
However, they are firm that the nuclear power project be given up in the interest of the safety of the people. Globally, there have been serious safety concerns relating to nuclear power projects, including in Japan, Italy and Germany.
The peaceful agitation against the project will continue in consultation with the State Government. The people’s movement is directed against the Centre and the protesters will coordinate with the State Government on this issue in a peaceful manner, he said.