Allay fear of people on Koodankulam nuke plant: environmental expert

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The government should try to allay the fears of people over Koodankulam nuclear power project instead of taking a stance confronting the people, according to an expert.

Speaking to Express on the sidelines of a seminar on ‘Technological Solutions for Environmental Issues’ organized by Chemical Industries Association here on Friday, former chairman of Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Waste Management Dr G Thyagarajan said after the nuclear meltdown in Japan following the tsunami, there has been a rising fear among the people and it is time the government should listen to people and allay their fears.

He said although the nuclear industry did not have any accident but it does not guarantee that accident will not happen. “India requires renewable energy and the nuclear industry should now create awareness and allay the fears of people instead of going in for confrontation,” he added.

He was also of the opinion that nuclear reactors should not concentrate on one place and it should be spread out.

Thyagarajan also slammed the proposal of reviving the shipbreaking yard in Valinokkam in Ramanathapuram district. “I objected to the Alang shipbreaking yard when I was chairman of the Supreme Court Committee on Hazardous Waste Management. It will be a environmental disaster if the state government takes any such move,” he told Express.

“We are not a poor nation to go in for shipbreaking yard. Instead we should go in for ship making which could provide more jobs for the people of state,” he said.

“If the shipbreaking yard comes in the state, it will destroy the whole coastline and I can guarantee it from my experiences in Alang,” he said.

His statement comes in the wake of Ramanathapuram district collector Arun Roy stating that the feasibility of reviving the shipbreaking yard would be considered and then forwarded to the government for final decision.

Earlier, delivering the inaugural speech he said chemical industries should go in for the latest available technologies to cut down on chemical wastes. He also highlighted the need for states to identify right site for chemical industries and educate people to not to settle near such industries.

Meanwhile, Chemical Industries Association rued the lack of hazardous solid waste disposal facility in the state. “the association has sought for it 30 years ago but till now the state has not taken any action,” said P K N Panicker, president of Chemical Industries Association.

Citing an example of chromium waste dumped in Ranipet by Tamil Nadu Chromite, a company which has ceased to exist, he said the waste is still there polluting the entire area and also the ground water is affected as such existing chemical units also could not expand.