I believe the government has given the NGO's a chance to challenge that assertion. The government has cancelled the licenses of three NGO's who are accused of diverting funds to fuel the protests. If they want to/can, I believe the NGO's can knock on the court's doors & see how they fare against the governments "proof".
Kudankulam protests: 3 NGOs lose licence for diverting fund
The Union Home Ministry has cancelled the licences of three non-govermental organisations operating in southern Tamil Nadu on the charge that they diverted funds for the protests against the Kudankula Nuclear Power Plant.
The action follows Prime Minister Manmohan Singh‘s comments to Science magazine that suggested that US non-governmental organisations were behind the agitation, which has stalled work on the nuclear plant in power-starved Tamil Nadu. The first of the two 1000-MW reactors, being built with Russian help, was to have been decommissioned in December 2011, but work on the project has been suspended since August 2011 after the protests intesified.
Singh’s comments had whipped up a controversy, with the leader of the protest movement SP Udayakamar challenging the Prime Minister to prove his charge – or resign.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office V Narayanasamy on Friday confirmed the action against the three NGOs, but did not disclose their names. But earlier this month, Narayanasamy had alleged that NGOs administered by Tuticorin church leader, Bishop Yvon Ambroise, had received foreign funds to the tune of Rs 54 crore. Ambroise has been active in mobilising popular support for the anti-nuclear protests.
Narayanasamy also alleged then that a third NGO run by Udayakumar, who heads the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy, had received Rs 1.5 crore in foreign funds. He had said then that if the NGOs were not shown to have maintained proper accounts for the expenditure on these amounts, the Home Ministry would initiate stringent action against them for violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
The NGOs associated with Ambroise are the Tuticorin Diocese Association (TDA) and the Tuticorin Multipurpose Social Service Society (TMSSS). Indian Express reports that both these NGOs had FCRA clearance until last year, but their names have now been removed from the home ministry website listing over 42,000 NGOs having FCRA clearance.
The Home Ministry notes on its website that TMSSS received Rs 42 crore from abroad in the last five years (details here) for rural development work, and that TDA received Rs 23 crore.
Many other Christian organistions, including People’s Education for Action and Liberation (PEAL) and Good Vision, are also under the Home Ministry scanner for alleged funding of the anti-nuclear protest movement.
Udayakumar told CNN-IBN that his organisation had not received even a single rupee from abroad. “I am willing to undergo capital punishment if the allegation that I received foreign funding is proved,” he said.
Ok I read this earlier today, So where is the proof? So, without givin any solid proof, the gov;t revoked the licenses. Doesn;t that seem the least bit odd to you? I mean when a gov;t can do such action without presenting the facts, where is the law, the justice, the democracy? I guess the gov;t can do whatever it wants.
All MMS has to do is present the facts and the naysayers will be silenced right?
Anyway, here are some points read up:
As of October 2011, More than 120 Catholic fishermen in living around the Koodankulam nuclear plant in the southern Tamil Nadu state, blocked highways and staged hunger strikes, preventing further construction work, and demanding its closure siting fear of the disasters like the Environmental impact of nuclear power, Radioactive waste, nuclear accident similar to the radiation leak in March at Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster.[17]
The protesters have clearly stated few specific reasons for opposing the Koodankulam NPP project.[18]
But I understand what Lynx
According to S P Udayakumar, of the voluntary People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, "the nuclear plant is unsafe" and "the safety analysis report and the site evaluation study have not been made public. No public hearing was held. It's an authoritarian project that has been imposed on the people." Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha that "all precautions would be taken at the Koodankulam nuclear plant to maintain the highest safety standards".[19]
Gopal Gandhi, Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, former West Bengal governor also said that "Indian Fukushima cannot be ruled out and government needs to convince people about safety aspects of the project" in a lecture on 'India 2021- Hazarding Guesses, Guessing Hazards' in New Delhi)[20]
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has also been filed against the government’s civil nuclear program at the apex Supreme Court. The PIL specifically asks for the "staying of all proposed nuclear power plants till satisfactory safety measures and cost-benefit analyses are completed by independent agencies".[21][22]
Renowned aeronautical scientist and former President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam after a personal visit to the plant said that Koodankulam Nuclear Plant is safe and the plant was essential for "power hungry" India.[23][24] However People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy leader Mr.Pushparayan recollected that Former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission of India Dr Homi Sethna had suggested to A. P. J. Abdul Kalam in the past not to comment on nuclear engineering since he was a missile engineer.[25][26]
Regarding people's fears Former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission of India Srinivasan said that one should never compare the Fukushima plant with Kudankulam and added "The Fukushima plant was built on a beachfront, but the Kudankulam was constructed on a solid terrain and that too keeping all the safety aspects in mind. Also, we are not in a tsunami prone area. The plants in Kudankulam have a double contaminant system which can withstand high pressure. At least Rs 14,000 crore has been spent. If we don't operate the plant immediately, it will affect the economic stability of our country".[27]
A center panel constituted by the Government of India, which did a survey of the safety features in the plant, said the Koodankulam reactors are the safest and fears of the people are not based on scientific principles. Dr. Muthunayagam,panel's convener,also added that the protesters have asked for some documents which are not related to the safety of the reactor hence he suspects the very nature of their questions.[16]
In response to the center panel report, protesters wrote an open letter to the chief minister Jayalalithaa that the center panel's report is "ill-baked and incomplete eyewash report" and also said that the report has "ignored our question on liability, and has given no specific or scientific information on nuclear waste, and vague information on the fresh water needs of the KKNPP".
But I unerstand Neuro, Lynx, and Mukerjee are saying. India needs nuclear reactors and I agree. I just think its important to hear folks concerns and the gov;t should not run the country like tyrants. Present the facts and ppl cannot object. What are they hiding?
Offtopic:
Remember, our wonderful gov;t allowed endosulfan to be used while 66 countries banned its uses. 66 developed countries who have more money and resources.
Bring your arguments here, if you can muster one up. Leave the certificate issuing at home.
