Kudankulam Nuclear Power: After a year of protests, people suffering from hunger
Mumbai (AsiaNews) -
"For 392 days these people, all day fishermen are suffering from hunger
and misery in order to continue their peaceful protest against the Kudankulam
nuclear power plant. Their right to life and survival is at stake." Talking
to AsiaNews Fr. X. D. Selvaraj,
social activist, who for more than a year fighting with the local community is to
stop the construction in the state of Tamil Nadu. The protesters, mostly
Catholics, often give up going out to sea just to continue the protest. For the
first time in months, yesterday the dispute experienced moments of tension, but
did not result in violence or arrests.
Yesterday afternoon, the police detained around 3 thousand protesters -
including women and children - who were trying to reach the center, to prevent
the arrival of fuel for reactors. Under the leadership of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy,
a few hours before people marched to the centre, forcing the police to deploy almost
4 thousand agents throughout the area. When they reached 1500 meters from the
reactor, the Superintendent of Police Vijayendra Bidari came to head off the
procession, telling the protesters that their protest was illegal, but that
they had the right to submit a complaint to the High Court of Madras. People
are then detoured to the nearby Pariyamulli beach. "It was not our
intention - says the superintendent to AsiaNews
- to make arrests. Our aim is not innocent women and children, but to find
out who organized the event yesterday, knowing it was illegal."
For Fr.. Selvaraj "a humanitarian crisis is looming large at Kudankulam.
The poorest of the poor are affected by what is happening. These fishermen have
been deceived by the Government of Tamil Nadu, who first argued their case and
then turned their backs on them. People want their leaders to listen to their
demands, but neither the state nor the central government is willing to do so.
Their only goal is to open that nuclear power plant. "
Signed in 1988 but started only in 1997, the Russian designed nuclear plant at Kudankalam
has suffered several delays due to delays in the supply of components and
obstruction of the people. On 11 September 2011, more than 127 people from the village of Idinthakarai began to fast
in protest. After 12 days, they halted the hunger strike after the promises (unfulfilled)
of J. Jayalitha, chief minister of the state, which had guaranteed a halt to
the project.
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18/06/2022 16:25
