KKNPP Leaks and Repairs: More Questions and No Answers

People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE)

Idinthakarai 627 104

Tirunelveli District

koodankulam@yahoo.com                                                      

                                                                                         January 23, 2013
                                                                         For Immediate Press Release

KKNPP Leaks and Repairs: More Questions and No Answers

Since the NPCIL and DAE authorities are tight-lipped about the current condition of the KKNPP, recurrent rumors are making rounds here in our area that that there have been some 40 deaths, that the contract workers at KKNPP have been asked not to report for duty, and that KKNPP-1 has been completely sealed. Southern Tamil Nadu is agog with such and worse rumors about the KKNPP as Union Minister Mr. Narayanasami makes terse, incomplete and irresponsible statements about leaks and repairs at the KKNPP without giving any details to the public. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) Chief Dr. R. K. Sinha said on January 18 that there was "no major issue behind delay in Kudankulam commissioning." But he stopped short of telling the real truth about the project.

Would somebody tell the complete truth about the KKNPP please? What are the "minor" issues that are plaguing the KKNPP? How are they being rectified? Russian nuclear industry is said to be in a bad shape with reactor cancellations and delays because of cracks and shoddy equipment. Zio-Podolsk, owned by the Russian company Rosatom, is under investigation for shoddy
equipment it produced for several nuclear plants in Russia and abroad since 2007. It's suspected that "Zio-Podolsk" used wrong type of steel (cheaper than the one originally required) to produce equipment for nuclear plants, such as steam generators. This company has supplied several equipment and parts to the KKNPP. Is it true or not?

According to the DAE and the NPCIL authorities, they completed the fuel loading at KKNPP-1 on October 2, 2012 and it has been four months of testing and reporting leaks and repairs.  And what is leaking? Should those of us who live in the vicinity be worried about our and our family’s safety and well-being?

Interestingly enough, the project cost is said to have risen by some Rs. 4,000 crores more than the estimated cost. What is the actual end cost of the KKNPP 1 and 2? What is the breakdown of this huge amount? Did anyone in India and Russia get commissions and bribes? "Atomstroyexport" has just released its financial statement for 2011. The company claims that losses in 2011 were twice bigger than the losses of 2010, and that the company is on the brink of bankruptcy. This has seriously affected the Russian nuclear projects at Koodankulam in India and Busher in Iran <http://www.interfax.ru/business/txt.asp?id=283928>. Is the Indian government secretly helping the Russian company with its loss and bankruptcy? Will somebody institute a thorough inquiry on the actual cost of and the over-spending on KKNPP? People of India want to know the truth.

Why is the Tirunelveli Collector, Mr. Samaymoorthi, so deafeningly silent about the KKNPP leaks and repairs? Isn't he responsible for all off-site safety and emergency issues and concerns? Why are the Chief Minister and all the ministers of Tamil Nadu silent? Aren’t they worried about the safety and well-being of the Tamils? Why doesn't the DMK Chief speak about the KKNPP leaks and repairs? After all, his Party is part of the UPA government at the Center and he is a vociferous supporter of the KKNPP. Where is the Tamil Nadu opposition leader Mr. Vijayakanth? Does he know about the leaks and repairs at KKNPP? Why does Minister Mr. Narayanasami alone speak about the KKNPP leaks and repairs? Where is the Atomic Energy minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh? Why do they refuse to speak? Do they want only our votes and their power?

If the KKNPP suffers all these leaks and repairs, how did Dr. Abdul Kalam, Dr. M. R. Srinivasan, Dr. Muthunayagam and his Expert Team, and Dr. Iniyan and his expert committee give out the "best and brightest" certificates to the KKNPP one after another? Were they all speaking non-truths? Why are they silent now?

In the light of the above situation, the PMANE demands a White Paper on the actual happenings of the KKNPP along with the Site Evaluation Report (SER), Safety Analysis Report (SAR), Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP), VVER-1000/412 performance report in the larger interests of the people of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. If they ignore our demand and do not respond in 15 days, we will lay another siege to the KKNPP.

Let’s Have a National Debate on the Ambitious Nuclear Program - PMANE

The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) calls for a national debate on the Indian government’s ambitious and aggressive nuclear power program and for making it a poll issue in the upcoming Parliamentary elections. If the Congress Party or the BJP or any other party for that matter manages to convince the Indian voters about this full-scale nuclearization of the country and obtains absolute majority in the next Parliament, we will call off the ongoing struggle against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) immediately.

Since the incumbent Congress-led UPA government is accused of obscene and rampant corruption and scandals, and have lost all moral authority and legitimacy to rule the country, the people of India cannot and will not let them take this important nuclearization decision about the future and wellbeing of the second most populous country in the world. The whole of India knows how the present Manmohan Singh government manipulates the Parliament and gets through its devious policies and deceitful schemes. They played all kinds of dirty games and dubious politics to get the Indo-US Nuclear Deal passed in the Parliament. The Indian citizens have witnessed a much worse drama on the recent vote on the FDI issue. The Congress-led government threatened and/or seduced political parties and unscrupulous politicians such as M. Karunanidhi, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Lalu Prasad Yadav and others with serious cases or selective incentives to win their support for FDI. Now we hear that Walmart has spent an exorbitant amount of money in India to manipulate the entire Parliamentary processes.

Indian citizens simply do not and cannot trust these unprincipled, immoral, corrupt and self-seeking “leaders” and their family-run parties to decide all our fate, our progenies’ destiny, and our precious natural resources.  Most of the present-day “leaders” are all sell-outs and they work for foreign governments, their agencies and MNCs. These cancerous elements’ only motive in public life is self-aggrandizement, self-perpetuation, and self-indulgence. Even if these old manipulative Machiavellis lose power (and die), we will still be stuck with their equally bad and corrupt sons and daughters. Nonetheless, let the people of India have a say in the important decision of nuclearizing India.

After all, the nuclear energy program is not just about generating electricity. When the government starts nuclear power plants all along the Indian coast at Koodankulam, Kalpakkam, Kovvada, Pati Sonapur, Haripur, Jaitapur, Tarapur, Mithi Virdi and so on, all these huge and foreign power plants would be dumping hot and contaminated water and radioactive wastes into the sea with disastrous impact on our sea, seafood, ground water, crops and so forth. Our food security and nutrition security will be drastically affected. As it is, some 42 percent of our children are born malnourished and with severe deficiencies. If we lose the cheap and best fish food also, only the politicians’ and bureaucrats’ children will have the physical health and mental faculties to lead normal healthy life. The present-day slavery will be perpetuated.

When the Indian elites build even more nuclear power plants at Kaiga, Chutka, Banswada and Fatehabad and so on, most of the Indian citizens will be exposed to dangerous radiation all over the country and we all will be paying a heavy price for diseases and ill health. The government of India does not take these hidden costs into account as our “leaders” are constantly working for their money and their children’s power.

So, we make the following proposition. Ask the government of India and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to share the following documents on all the existing and upcoming nuclear projects:

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA),

Site Evaluation Report (SER),

Safety Analysis Report (SAR),

Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP),

Concerned Reactor’s Performance Report,

Liability Regimes and all other relevant information, documents and details in English, Hindi and the local languages.

Let the whole country discuss these reports and information and engage in a nation-wide debate about the exorbitant cost of nuclear energy, the hidden costs such as food insecurity and diseases, nuclear safety, nuclear waste management, decommissioning technology and costs, and the whole array of related issues.

And then in the upcoming Parliament elections, let us ask the Indian voters to decide on the full-fledged ambitious and aggressive nuclearization of our country. If majority of them endorse the policy and vote overwhelmingly for any party that supports this nuclear policy and projects, we, the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) will immediately withdraw our struggle against the KKNPP project.

If the corrupt “leaders” of India have not sold the country to the United States, Russia and France, let them take up this democratic offer and work with us instead of sending discredited scientists, macho model boys and subservient bureaucrats amidst us to convince the clear-headed citizens of India.

The Struggle Committee

The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE)

12/12/12