Russian experts leaves Koodankulam nuke project site

Experts from Atomstroyexports, the Russian firm which supplies equipment to the nuclear power plant at Koodankulam in the district, had left the site as permission was not granted to them by police to visit the area due to ongoing protest by locals against the project.

Sources in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) said the Russian experts took the decision as permission was not given by police to go to the site from Anu Vijay township, where they were staying, following the protests.

Police said as they feared that there could be "surprise attacks" on the Russians by the protesters, they were hesitant to permit the Russian engineers to visit the site.

The KNPP officials would be meeting shortly to take a decision in the wake of they being prevented from going to work, the sources said.

A group of Russian experts and engineers were staying in the Sagar Milan Guest house on the Anu Vijay Township premises at Chettikulam. They could not stay there indefinitely, they said.

"A group of people are preventing us from doing our duty. Officials were ready to go to the project site after 11 days yesterday (Thursday). But the local police are warning the Central Industrial Security Force personnel who are providing security to us," they said.

Following protests over the scheduled commissioning of the 2 X 1,000 MWe plant, the Centre had recently set up a 15-member group of experts to clear "misconceptions" about the Indo-Russian project.

"The experts appointed by the Centre were expected to visit the plant shortly. We would not be able to prepare a report to be submitted to them if we were not allowed to go the project site," a KKNPP official said and sought the Centre's immediate intervention to sort out the problem.