nuclear-news

India’s “democracy” – no right for Kudankulam public meeting about nuclear power

Madras HC dismisses plea for holding public meetings in Kudankulam
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_madras-hc-dismisses-plea-for-holding-public-meetings-in-kudankulam_1765500, Nov 16, 2012,Chennai   ANI The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed petitions which sought to declare the clamping of ban orders under Section 144 (1) of CrPC in Kudankulam as null and void.

It also refused to grant permission for conducting a public meeting to highlight demands against commissioning of the nuclear power plant.

Citing a Supreme Court division bench’ order, Madras High Court judge
Justice K Chandru cdismissed the two petitions filed by one G Sivarasa
Boopathy. The petitioner had submitted that he had sought police
permission to hold a public meeting in Kudankulam on July 28 last as
part of the protest against the Indo-Russian power project.
Police denied permission citing Section 144 (1) CrPC, which was in
force till September 9 last in the area. The petitioner move the high
court challenging the promulgation of Section 144. Police in their
counter had justified the promulgation order.

Last month, hundreds of activists took to the streets and intensified
their stir against the Kudankulam nuclear power project by forming
human chains. Expressing fears about the operationalisation of the
Kudankulam nuclear power plant, the protesters said then that the
plant could have an adverse impact on the environment.

“This must be stopped, it must be prevented. Nuclear plant can be
established only with the consent, full knowledge and also with the
consent of all people concerned in the area and also the major
political parties,” said General Secretary of the Revolutionary
Socialist Party (RSP) TJ Chandrachoodan.

Further he said that most developing nations have withdrawn nuclear
projects, whereas India is embarking on such projects. “Out of 205
nations almost all nations in the world, only 31 nations produce
nuclear energy and we have already joined them but we are embarking
upon on six projects at a time when all the developing nations are
slowly but steadily shutting down their nuclear facilities because it
causes immense loss to life with diseases like cancer and blood
cancer,” added Chandrachoodan.

The villagers of Kudankulam, hit by tsunami in 2004, say their
government is gambling with their lives by commissioning one of Asia’s
first new nuclear reactors since the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.
Protest against the power plant has boiled over the past year, while
nuclear fuel has already been loaded in the plant.

November 17, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, politics