little over a month after the State-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIl) signed a Pre-Engineering Agreement (PEA) with Messrs AREVA of France, the Shiv Sena, an NDA constituent, on Thursday announced its plans to intensify its agitation against the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP), rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request to the party to drop its opposition to the controversial project.
A day after his party MPs met Modi and reiterated their party’s opposition to the 9,900 MW JNPP, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray met his party leaders Arvind Sawant, Subhash Desai, Sanjay Raut and Ramdas Kadam at his residence here and deliberated on the party’s future strategy against the project.
Notwithstanding Modi’s request to party’s not to oppose the JNPP on the ground that it was beneficial for the country, the Sena decided to step its against the project coming in coastal Konkan region.
During the Prime Minister’s visit to France, the NPCIl had on April 10, 2015 had signed a PEA with AREVA in connection with the proposed JNPP for setting up of two EPR (Evolutional Pressurised Reactor) reactors of 1,650 MW each to be set up in collaboration with the French company.
Talking to media persons after party leaders’ meeting with Uddhav, Sawant said: "We have decided to intensify our agitation against the Jaitapur project now".
Terming the project as "destructive", Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam said that the project would reduce the entire Konkan along with Mumbai into "ashes" in the event of a disaster.
"The Sena delegation tried to explain to the Prime Minister that this project is destructive in nature and local farmers are vehemently opposing it. We also told him we will continue to back the farmers. There is no question of going back. The BJP should not turn this into a prestige issue. We had strongly opposed this project when Congress and NCP were in power, and our opposition will continue," Kadam said.
"We hope that the PM will seek advice of scientists before going ahead. I too have received some reports by scientists. I will send them to him. We hope he understands that this project will turn the entire Konkan region, along with Mumbai, into ashes," he added.
The NPCIl, a Public Sector Undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) that is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister, is setting up 6 nuclear power units of 1650 MW capacity each in Madban village of Rajapur tehsil in Ratnagiri district of coastal Konkan region in collaboration with the French nuclear power giant AREVA.
The PEA, which the NPCIl signed with M/s AREVA last month, pertains mainly pertains to assessment of licenseability of the EPR prokect as per Indian laws, codes, guides, regulations, manuals, practices and general acceptability, as well as an informed understanding of the EPR Technology. It will facilitate the NPCIl to make a detailed assessment of the plant and take up the licencing process with the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) "as soon as the JNPP is taken up for implementation" by the NPCIl.