The petition requests the high court to direct the government to form an independent expert committee to study the ill-effects of nuclear power generation.
The protest against the construction of two additional reactor units for Kaiga Generating Station (KGS) has taken a legal turn with a writ petition being filed at the Karnataka high court on Friday.
Former president of Karwar taluk panchayat, Chandrahas Kotarkar, in his writ petition, requested that the KGS and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) be restrained by issuing an injunction against setting up two units at Kaiga.
The petition has also requested the court to direct the government to constitute a high-level independent expert committee to study the “ill effects of the nuclear power generation in Kaiga on the health of the people in the 50-km radius around KGS.”
Kotarkar told DNA that “there were already problems of radiation in the area which has affected the health of the people, livestock, as well as agriculture in the region.”
“Various incidents such as fire in the control room of Unit 3, Tritium (heavy water) leak into the drinking water cooler of KGS and mysterious disappearance of two technical experts — Ravi Molay and Loganathan Mahalingam — does not speak of ‘professional nuclear safety levels’ as boasted by the KGS authorities.” Kotarkar said he has also requested that a study be carried out to assess the safety of the regions around Kaiga region. He said in case of a radiation leak at KGS, Karwar, Mangalore, Udupi, Margao and Panaji would be at risk. It could also contaminate the Kali river and the thick forests of western ghats.
Kotarkar’s legal counsel Roshan P Tarikar said as a continuation of the agitation, every cancer patient in Karwar, Yellapura and Joida taluks will be encouraged to file an independent application in the high court. A host of village chiefs from Amadalli, Chendia, Anashi, Devakar, Balse, Haroor, Barae, Hartuga, Kuchegara and Solageri have also indicated that they will also go in for independent writ petitions.
With this move against the expansion of Kaiga nuclear plant, a major showdown between the NPCIL-KGS and local people is on cards.
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