nuclear-news

Russia getting annoyed with delays in selling its nukes to India

Russia running out of patience as nuclear plant row intensifies, Daily Mail, By M C RAJAN  16th February 2012 Russia seems to be stuck in a catch-22 situation. The ongoing anti-nuke stir in Southern Tamil Nadu has placed the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in a limbo.
It is only now that Russia has realised that the going might get tough.
Unable to hide the deep angst over the ready-to-commission plant being
held up, Russian Ambassador Alexander M Kadakin has done some plain
speaking to drive home the point that their patience was running out.
The frustration was palpable when he said that his country could not
allow its scientists to remain idle any longer.
This is the first time that a high-ranking Russian official has opened
his mouth on the matter…….
Jayalalithaa refused to play ball with the Centre as New Delhi has not
conceded her plea for a liberal financial package to tide over the
fiscal crisis.
Now, the AIADMK supremo has no qualms in dumping the anti-nuke chorus
as her party had swept the civic poll.
As expected, she has constituted a fresh panel of experts to allay the
fears of locals who have rallied under the People’s Movement Against
Nuclear Energy (PMANE), spearheaded by the suave S P Udayakumar.
In a deft move, she has axed the leaders of the protest from the panel
by packing it with pro-nuclear faces like M R Sreenivasan, former
chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
This could be sweet music to Russia, for which export of nuclear
technology is critical in many ways. It is in this context that Mr
Kadakin’s intervention assumes significance……. However, the envoy
may not be aware of the fact that massive protests have been there in
the past as well, though this was the most militant…..
the PMANE leadership has sensed the tactical shift in Jayalalithaa’s
stance and has demanded that Sreenivasan be dropped from the state
panel.
Having set up a team of experts, they have sought a dialogue with the
official panel.
As it appears now, there is no easy way out and the anti-nuke
leadership does not show any sign of wilting under pressure. But, how
Jayalalithaa tackles the protest would be watched with keen interest.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2101839/Russia-running-patience-nuclear-plant-row-intensifies.html#ixzz1mbfCc1Yf

February 16, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, politics international, Russia