Central Government should stop constructing dumping yard of atomic energy waste at Koodankulam – SDPI

New Delhi 08 Jun 2019: Statement issued by SDPI National Vice President KKSM Dhehalan Baqavi

As against the rulings of the Supreme Court, Central Government has started constructing dumping yard of atomic energy waste within the limits of Koodankulam atomic plant, instead of constructing Deep Geological Repository. Even after declaring openly last year in Supreme Court by National Atomic Corporation about insufficient technology to handle atomic energy waste, the Central Government is going ahead risking the lives of people.

The people surrounding Koodankulam and the people of Tamil Nadu were agitating to stop the function of Koodankulam Atomic Energy Plant for creating hazardous environment. The Government’s proposal of constructing Atomic energy waste dumping yard with enriched atomic waste is many times dangerous than the Koodankulam Plant itself. Dhehalan Baqavi has strongly condemned this move.

After knowing recent effects of atomic energy dumping yards in several countries including Japan (Fukushima), the Government’s decision to install such hazardous proposal clearly indicates their lack of interest in environmental safety and security of people. Regarding Koodankulam Atomic Energy Plant, an NGO, Poovulagin Nanbargal has filed a case in Supreme Court in 2012. In its rulings, Supreme Court has ordered the Govt. to install Deep Geological Repository to safeguard atomic energy waste and not to dump Koodankulam’s waste there itself.

But National Atomic Corporation in a petition filed in Supreme Court sought five more years’ time because they didn’t have the technology to handling atomic waste. The Supreme Court has accepted their prayer and granted time frame up to 2022. Though Indian Atomic Energy Corporation had already declared to Supreme Court that they had yet to plan the proposal, they were in haste to convene public opinion meeting on 10th July at Radhapuram to install it neglecting 15 conditions imposed by Supreme Court.

It was cautioned by USA Atomic Energy Department that the first atomic energy waste yard had created hazardous atmospheric radiation. It was affirmed by the atomic experts of Japan that Fukushima atomic energy plant’s accident had created hazardous environment pollution by the radiation caused by it. Such radiation had badly affected the day-to-day lives of people living even thousands of kilometres away. Concerned with such kind of dangerous results, most of countries having atomic energy plants had considered to dropping of installing atomic energy waste dumping plants. But Indian Government is adamant in installing such hazardous plants.

Even after the mass protests against implications of such hazardous plants by the people, the Governments had been ignoring public interests. Therefore, the Govt. should come forward to close already functioning two atomic energy plants erected by Russia. SDPI has urged Central Government to respect the grievances of Koodankulam people.
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