The project is to come up in Ratnagiri district where French firm Areva will set up six nuclear reactors with a total power generation capacity of about 10,000 MW.
Greenpeace India on Friday questioned the Centre's nod to Jaitapur nuclear power project, claiming that a Geological Survey of India (GSI) report had found 16 fault lines near the site and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "re-evaluate" the approval.
Noting the project has been given an "in-principle" site approval and preliminary construction has already started at the site, the NGO said a report commissioned by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) in 2002 has been under review for the last 10 years now and as such the clearance for the site should not have been granted.
The NGO said though it was allowed to examine the report in March 2014 under RTI, it was not permitted to make copies of it and was told that the "report is under review and thus copy cannot be provided".
"The report states there are six fault lines within the 5 km radius of the project site. If the report is still under review, then on what basis was site clearance granted," said Greenpeace campaigner Hozefa Merchant, adding there are close to 16 fault lines near the project site as per a 2006 GSI report.
The project is to come up in Ratnagiri district where French firm Areva will set up six nuclear reactors with a total power generation capacity of about 10,000 MW. The NGO said Jaitapur nuclear site is part of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra which is classified under Zone 4 (high damage risk zone) and there were close to 93 major tremors recorded within the area in the last 20 years.
"We urge the Prime Minister to re-evaluate the 'in-principle' approval granted to the Jaitapur site or for the least, direct NPCIL to finish its review of the GSI document and make the report public," Merchant said.
He said the report in question appears to be a preliminary report on seismic activity in and around the proposed site.
Merchant said that according to the nuclear regulatory guideline, if there are any capable faults within 5 km radius of the site, then it cannot be considered for constructing a nuclear power plant. "The GSI report states that there are six fault lines within the 5 km radius of the site whose activity is unknown," he said.
"If the report is still under review, then it can be inferred that it is inconclusive and if it is inconclusive, it means that more studies need to be done before a site approval is granted," he said.
In a rebuttal to a peer reviewed paper written by seismologist Vinod Guar along with American geophysicist Roger Bilham on Jaitapur, the NPCIL had referred to the GSI study conducted before the site was accorded an "in principle" approval but the report was not made public, the NGO said.
The NPCIL stated the site falls under earthquake Zone 3 despite a letter dated March 4, 2011 by Meteorological Department of India which says that due consideration of Zone 4 needs to be given to the site for design and construction, it said.
Shiv Sena, a key constituent of BJP-led ruling alliance in Maharashtra and at the Centre has also strongly opposed the mega nuclear plant at Jaitapur and said it will "adversely" impact the fragile ecosystem in the coast region. The party had also sent a report to Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and awaiting a reply.
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