SC:Kudankulam nuclear plant is safe

In a relief for the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government, the Supreme Court on Monday approved the commissioning of the controversial Kudankulam nuclear plant. Kudankulam plant is safe and secure and it is necessary for larger public interest and economic growth of the country, the SC said. "Nuclear power plants are needed in the country for the present and future generations," observed the apex bench. The apex court said that the Kudankulam N-plant has been set up by the government for the welfare of the people. A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, which had reserved the verdict following marathon arguments in the last three months, delivered the judgement. A batch of petitions was filed by anti-nuclear activists challenging the project on the ground that safety measures recommended for the plant by an expert body have not been put in place. They also raised various questions pertaining to the disposal of nuclear waste, the plant's impact on the environment and the safety of people living nearby, besides other issues linked to the controversial plant. The Centre, Tamil Nadu government and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, which operates the plant, had refuted all the allegations on safety and security aspects. They had submitted that the plant is completely safe and can withstand any kind of natural disaster and external terrorist attack. The bench, on the first date of hearing on September 13 last, had refused to stay the loading of fuel for the plant but had agreed to examine the risk associated with the project, saying the safety of people in its vicinity is its key concern.