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Summary UPA has urged the federal government to ensure safety measures at the nuclear plant.
An ally of the Indias ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) urged the federal government to ensure safety measures at the under-construction Koodankulam nuclear plant at southern Indias Tamil Nadu state.Muthuvel Karunanidhi, chief of the regional Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), said that peoples lives and their livelihood shouldnt be threatened by the project.Locals, who have been agitating for weeks, are demanding for the closure of the India Russia joint venture, citing safety concerns.Former chief of Tamil Nadu state, Karunanidhi, alleged mass rigging by the provincial ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in the local bodies elections.Established in a joint collaboration between India and Russia, the Koodankulam nuclear power project envisages to build two 1,000 MW VVER type reactors by end of December 2011.However, in the wake of the Fukushima incident in Japan, several nuclear projects across India, such as the one at Jaitapur in western Maharashtra state, have run into rough weather as protesting locals and activists argue that such plants could adversely affect the environment.India has a total installed power generation capacity of 164 gigawatts (GW) and aims to raise it to 187 GW by the end of March 2012. There are 20 reactors in operation in six power plants, generating over 4,000 megawatts of electricity while five other plants are under construction.Many feel that Indias plans to rapidly build more nuclear power plants are unlikely to change despite the crisis in Japan, even as Asias third-largest economy seeks to end blackouts.
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