Nuclear power protest in India turns deadly

[Edevelop]

CHENNAI, INDIA—A south Indian fisherman was killed on Monday after police opened fire to clear a highway blocked by demonstrators protesting against the country’s largest nuclear power project, due to start up within weeks after months of opposition.

Hundreds of protesters threw stones at police lines and also blocked a rail route, a police official told Reuters. Police responded by firing a volley of bullets in the air, killing one protester, the police official said. Other demonstrators set fire to a local government office.

Earlier, police used tear gas to break up thousands of protesters on a beach near the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, which is in the state of Tamil Nadu.

About 4,000 activists, mainly women and children from fishing villages, had camped on the beach about 1.5 kilometres from the plant to protest about the threat of radiation.

Protesters had waded into the sea or escaped in fishing boats as hundreds of police advanced on the beach. They threw rocks at police and several injuries were reported by both police and the protesters.

The Kudankulam plant is due to open within weeks and will provide 2 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power millions of Indian homes and relieve a power crisis in the state of Tamil Nadu. More nuclear plants are planned.

The government’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board last month gave clearance for fuel to be loaded into one of the Kudankulam plant’s two reactors, one of the last steps before it can begin producing power.

India is struggling to meet surging demand for electricity and suffers from a peak-hour power deficit of about 12 per cent, which has become a significant drag on the economy. A grid failure on two consecutive days this summer caused one of the world’s worst blackouts.

First conceived in 1988, Russian-built Kudankulam was supposed to have gone into operation last year, but protesters surrounded the compound after an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, causing radiation leaks and forcing mass evacuations.

The protesters fear a similar accident could happen in southern India, a region that was hard hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

India’s home minister accused foreign NGOs (non-governmental organizations) for supporting the anti-nuclear protests in the state.

“We are aware that some foreign NGOs are very interested in this. I do not want to name those countries, but we are aware of it,” Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in New Delhi.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also blamed NGOs for funding protests in an interview published in Science magazine earlier this year.

India plans to add 63 gigawatts of nuclear power by building 30 reactors by 2032. Nuclear accounts for less than 3 per cent of total capacity.

But the country aims to increase power capacity over the next five years mainly through coal, which already accounts for 60 per cent of India’s energy generation. Environmental concerns and mismanagement have slowed growth there as well.

There have also been protests in coal fields in the centre of the country, while hydro power projects in the Himalayas have faced opposition from local tribes.

Nuclear power protest in India turns deadly - thestar.com

 

[Jung]

Many of this people don't even know what is nuclear.

 

[phylumchordata]

^ incited by anti nuclear activists from US and Europe working in collaboration with local missionaries.

 

[KS]

^ incited by anti nuclear activists from US and Europe working in collaboration with local missionaries.

Not even Europe.

Missionaries with funding and connection from US seeking to sabotage a Russian project.

Almost all the leaders are Christians - mostly Baptists and Protestant - every organization meeting is done in the local churches and the demography of that area is mostly Christian. This is a clear cut case of foreign vested interests using their stooges in India (the NGO network) to further their interests.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

In only a few decades, the choice will be between renewable/nuclear energy or no energy at all.

 

[harpoon]

In only a few decades, the choice will be between renewable/nuclear energy or no energy at all.

These anti-nuclear protesters gives the example of Japan, US, Germany etc but conveniently omit China where about 30+ nuclear reactors are under construction. They fail to mention that the countries that they mention are all developed nations who have the luxury to try out new concepts not developing countries like India or in that case China who desperately needs more energy. For Germany I know that they shut down their nuclear reactors but is looking forward to buy power from France where 70% of energy needs are met by nuclear.

 

[itaskol]

nuclear fusion energy is the only future.

 

[Black Widow]

Energy hungry India need nuclear power. These Missionary trained protesters have done enough, Good government have used tough stand on there protest..


Some highlight:
1. A team lead by APJ kalam has declared this project safe.
2. Tamilnadu session and high court is satishfied with project and they have given go signal.
3. The experts are ok with safety measures...

 

[Plexyre]

People need to educate themselves about basic nuclear energy instead of having knee-jerk opposition to it. Nuclear energy itself is quite diverse, with many fundamentally different ways of making nuclear fuel, with different degrees of safety.

As for safety and nuclear waste, some of the new Gen IV reactors looks pretty promising in those regards, but are still in the conceptualization/prototype phase. Aside from that, the principal impediment would be the cost of building such reactors. Regardless of that, nuclear energy most certainly has an important role in the world today, and will only increase in importance in the future as more and more energy resources are depleted.

 

[Android]

Can anyone tell me why are those western missionaries and ngos against that nuclear plant

 

[Spring Onion]

Not even Europe.

Missionaries with funding and connection from US seeking to sabotage a Russian project.

Almost all the leaders are Christians - mostly Baptists and Protestant - every organization meeting is done in the local churches and the demography of that area is mostly Christian. This is a clear cut case of foreign vested interests using their stooges in India (the NGO network) to further their interests.

Ahhh the conspiracy theory by the Christians . Can anyone tell us how much power projects the localities of these protesting Christians are going to get from this plant??

 

[phylumchordata]

Ahhh the conspiracy theory by the Christians . Can anyone tell us how much power projects the localities of these protesting Christians are going to get from this plant??

hahah it is a fact that churches are actively participating in the protests alongwith whites from West.

 

[SamranAli]

sorry for these poor hungry indians.

 

[itaskol]

sorry for these poor hungry indians.

yes,
but it is weird that those poor hungry guys protest nuclear power.
nuclear power can provide them better life.

india is hungry of energy for developing. and enegy is the basic element for developing

 

[harpoon]

sorry for these poor hungry indians.

No need to feel sorry as they are hell bent on remaining poor.

Ahhh the conspiracy theory by the Christians . Can anyone tell us how much power projects the localities of these protesting Christians are going to get from this plant??

No conspiracy theories..Even GoI said that NGOs are behind this protests.