Can stop Kudankulam nuclear plant on security issue: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday warned the Centre that it will stall the operations at Kudankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu if all the safety measures are not taken in executing the project.

“It is a serious matter and we are taking it seriously. Everyone is concerned with the safety of the people around the plant. If we are not satisfied with the safety, we can stop it,” a bench of justices KS Radhakrishanan and Deepak Misra said as the petitioner’s lawyer Prashant Bhushan contended that all 17 measures suggested by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board had been done away with.

The government has started loading the nuclear plant amidst massive public outcry and protests in the area.

The judges, who said “public safety is of prime importance”, directed the Centre and Tamil Nadu government to ensure the safety of people living near the nuclear plant or else its commissioning can be stopped.

Defending loading of the plant with nuclear rods and its operation, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd  assured in an affidavit that all safety measures “are in place”.

“Even if a Fukushima type of incident (Japan) were to occur, Kudankulam is fully equipped to withstand any such unlikely event,” it added.

This matter is an off shoot of an appeal filed by G Sundarrajan who has challenged a Madras high court judgment on August 31 that allowed the government to go ahead with the operations. Prashant Bhushan argued that many changes have been made in the Kudankulam plant since 1989 when the environmental clearance was last given.