Jaitapur is a small town on the shores of Konkan Coast in South Maharashtra in India. The town is in much news these days due to the proposed Nuclear Power Plant there with an estimated output of 9900 MWs of energy. The energy starved state of Maharashtra [one of the leading industrial states] needs every bit of it.
The proposed Nuclear Plant is prestigious and has been conceived after George Bush, the American President put his weight behind getting Congressional OK for waiving off sanctions against India that were invoked under US law after India went ahead with nuclear explosions in the last decade of the previous century. The waiver allows India to shop for her nuclear reactors and fuels from the Nuclear Club member countries for strictly non military usage, and with obligation to allow international inspection for verification.
From the very beginning the proposed plant has been opposed by the local populace for various reasons.
- Land acquired for the project is under active cultivation.
- A total of 900 villages need to be evacuated and relocated. Government of India has a rather poor record of compensation to the affected families. There have been many cases where the land has been acquired for Defense installations, dams, roads and railways. The original settlers are invariably shortchanged. The issue relates to not only loss of livelihood but also a severe handicap in starting new life where new skills hitherto not tried for generations need to be acquired.
- A sizeable populace in the affected zone is in fishing as their livelihood and there are apprehensions that the plant will destroy marine life where the fishermen fish.
- Impact on environment is feared to be colossal. Radiation from the plant will cause sickness, may affect the health of the new born and even render the population working/living near the plant infertile.
- Accident like that in Russia [Chernobyl] can take place with untold miseries to a vast area.
Politics by the vested interests is being played to the hilt. One possible interest could be that the area gives easy access to smugglers. The plant near their area of operation affects their business.
Shiv Sena, the opposing party with clout in Maharashtra state has already declared its opposition to the plant. It appears to be opposition for the sake of opposition and out of personal vendetta against Narayan Rane who is a Cabinet Minister in the ruling coalition in the state. Mr. Rane is considered to be a heavy weight from Konkan area who deserted Shiv Sena few years ago.
Fortunately the Chief Minister Mr. Prithviraj has struck a reconciliatory and sympathetic cord with the local population. He has indicated his resolve to implement the project and is not averse to a dialogue with the affected. In fact he addressed a public meeting in Jaitapur on the subject.
The media too has done its share of dispelling the misconceptions. Nuclear scientists with international reputation like Dr. Kakodkar, and others have been participating in TV debates. It's quite clear from such debates that people are misled about radiation hazards, infertility and even accident probabilities. There are, after all, about 500 nuclear power plants world wide and enough data is available about their safe operation, There is no environmental degradation like in mining industries.
Even the heated water is to be taken through a tunnel dug from the plant, under the sea and is to be discharged about 2 miles away in the sea. While the water will not be radio active, its heat will destroy some fish within a very short radius of few meters where the hot water will rise to surface, getting cooled all the way. Finally it really boils down to only one issue. Rehabilitation of the dislocated population. It's a serious issue and Maharshtra state must concentrate on that. The previous records are bad. Megha Patkar, the self styled leader of the affected population elsewhere in India has always harped on this point and is considered very pertinent.
