The Polit Bureau calls for an immediate halt to the Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra. The local people have been totally opposed to the location of the plant in their area and refused to accept the forcible acquisition of their lands. A CPI(M) delegation which recently visited the area has confirmed this fact.
Given the crisis which has developed in some of the nuclear power reactors in Japan after the tsunami and the threat of a meltdown, it is imperative that the environmental clearance given to the project be withdrawn. The issue should be reexamined.
The Jaitapur power project is to be set-up with imported nuclear plants from the French company, Areva. These reactors based on the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) technology have not been commissioned for operation anywhere in the world yet. There are questions about the reliability and safety of these new reactors which are also much more expensive. Both in France and Finland, the construction of these reactors have run into various difficulties.
The justifications being given about the EPR project at Jaitapur by the concerned authorities cannot be accepted. The safety and interests of the people of Jaitapur and the country should be paramount.
