Abandon Koodamkulam Nuclear Project

Abandon
Koodankulam project

Hunger strike at Kudankulam

demands

a resounding No to Nuclear power



As the villagers started an indefinite hunger strike at
Idinthakarai on 11th September to oppose the commissioning of the
Kudankulam nuclear plant,(in Thirunelveli ditrict, Tamilnadu) police is
reported to have detained several villagers on the previous day in a
preventive move. In spite of this ,about 150 people are on an indefinite
fast .The strikers comprise people from all walks of life, including
priests and nuns from the local church.There was a tremendous turn up of
about15000 people on 12th September to support the ongoing hunger
strike.


The striking villagers need immediate support ,as they are
struggling for the just demand of scrapping a nuclear power project with
potential to destroy entire south India in case there be an accident.
Besides, it is a project, which endangers the livelihood of thousands of
fish workers and even their right to live. The Nuclear Power
Corporation of India Limited (NCPIL)seems determined to go ahead with
the project, in spite of stiff and persistent opposition by the people
for more than two decades.


The media have blacked out reporting of this major event of
indefinite hunger strike by 150 people, probably either due to their
sheer callousness or to self imposed censorship in obedience to the wish
of the nuclear establishment. In the middle of August, in a spontaneous
response to the mock security drill, there was a hunger strike for
three days at the same place, in which more than seven thousand people
participated. Shops were shut down in the area, fish workers of 8
villages stopped work and students boycotted classes, in an unparalleled
solidarity with people's opposition to the Project. Most of the
newspapers also chose to ignore this event, for reasons best known to
themselves. Yet, a media, hand in glove with the nuclear plant
authorities, cannot ultimately defeat peoples will . People knew of
Chernobyl and Fukushima, in spite of all out efforts by concerned
authorities to hide the truth from them.

Against such a background, citizens in Tamilnadu and Kerala,
especilly people of Thirunelveli,Thoothukkudi, Kanyakumari and
Trivandrum districts, which fall within 100 KM radius of the plant are
pressed with the need not only to undertake the responsibility of
bringing the strike to wider public attention immediately, but also to
seek most urgent intervention by responsible authorities placed at
higher levels of decision making and governance.

Why should the nuclear establishment insist on an extremely
dangerous project against the wishes of the people, especially when
nuclear plants are being scrapped elsewhere and newer ones rather not
being undertaken in the light of Fukushima disaster? Do we want a
Fukushima to happen in India to convince ourselves of the dangers of
the nuclear option?


Therefore, we hereby request the Hon'ble Prime Minister, the Hon'ble
Chief Ministers of States and all the Hon'ble Members of Parliament, to
intervene immediately to end the indefinite hunger strike by citizens
at Idinthakarai in Kudankulam , by assuring people that the demand
raised in the long drawn struggle,namely scrapping of the nuclear
project, will be met.

For
Ad hoc Committee,
Koodankulam AntiNuclear struggle Support Group Kerala