In pictures: Fukushima Day anniversary events in India
CNDP Nuclear Updates
(compiled and summarised by Sonali Huria )
Public Hearing at Chutka, Madhya PradeshAmid vociferous protests by villagers, Mandla district administration held a public hearing for the proposed nuclear plant at Chutka. While the district administration maintained that about 500 people, mostly tribals and residents from the region, participated in the public hearing and ‘expressed their views freely’, tribal leaders alleged that they were not allowed to express their views and that only those who support the plant were allowed to speak. The protestors have registered their complaint against the farcical ‘public hearing’ with the Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (MPHRC).
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Contract workers at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station strike work
At least 4,000 contract workers of the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) and the nearby Bhabha Atomic Power Station have been on an indefinite strike since 24 February 2014 demanding increased pay scales and permanent jobs, which has been an enduring demand since 2008. A majority of the workers have been employed at the plant for at least seven years, performing work ranging from cleaning the premises to the fuel handling section. According to the news report dated 26 February in The Hindu, one of the workers on strike stated that all contract workers, irrespective of the work they perform, are paid the same monthly salary of Rs.6,500. A majority of these workers belong to families which had given up their lands for the construction of TAPS.
Contract workers from BARC have also joined the strike, demanding benefits from the Central government. An employee from BARC at Tarapur stated that even though employees work throughout the year without a break, a majority of them are deprived travel allowance, provident fund and yearly bonus. Thus, the contract workers are demanding pay scales equivalent to those given to permanent employees and not simply a bare minimum wage. According to the news report, the TAPS Station Director stated that while the strike had not affected the plant’s operations yet, the government would have to take a decision on the demands raised by the workers.
PMANE Calls off Hunger Strike
The anti-Koodankulam protesters led by the People’s Movement against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) had gone on a hunger strike on the 900th day of continuous struggle against the Koodankulam nuclear power plant. The key demand of those who went on the hunger strike was for the government to stop Units 3 and 4 in Koodankulam and conduct a detailed study on the quality of equipment used in the nuclear plant.
However, after an intervention by community leaders from Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Nagercoil Districts, the anti-Koodankulam protesters ended their indefinite hunger strike on its fifth day in Idinthakarai. PMANE leader SP Udayakumar confirmed that the strike was called off on the suggestion of the community leaders and that the future course of action would be decided based on the community conference which was slated to be held on 9 Februaary 2014 in Koottappuzhi. The fishermen community continued their boycott of fishing in solidarity with the strike till the strike was called off. Besides, people participated in huge numbers from Idinthakarai and neighbouring villages such as Perumanal, Koottappuli and others, supporting the strike.
Civilian worker dies in nuclear submarine accident
A civilian worker was killed and two others injured in an accident during tests for the second of the Arihant class of missile boats under construction in Visakhapatnam under India’s ambitious nuclear submarine programme.
The accident is reported to have taken place on 08 March on the Aridaman project, the follow-on boat of INS Arihant, at the ship-building centre in Visakhapatnam while pressure tests were being carried out. The accident is believed to have taken place when the hull was being pressure-tested and one of the hatches flew apart, killing a civilian sub-contractor who was part of the construction crew.
The Aridaman is the second in the line of three Arihant class boats slated to be part of India’s ‘nuclear triad’. The Arihant is currently undergoing trials and is expected to join the fleet this year. The strategic submarine is being constructed at the Eastern Naval Command.
A DRDO spokesperson confirming the accident stated that a contractual worker had ‘lost his life’ during testing of a pressure tank at a facility of the Department of Defence R&D, related to the development of submarines at Vishakhapatnam and that two other persons had been injured and were undergoing treatment. The Spokesperson added that an inquiry had been ordered into the accident. A statement from DRDO maintained that ‘the submarines [were] safe and the accident did not adversely affect the project’.
India and France agree on cost of power generated by Jaitapur nuclear plant
After three years of negotiations, India and France have come to an agreement on the cost of power that will be generated by the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP) in Maharashtra. The two sides are reported to have agreed on Rs 6 per unit, down from Rs 9.18 per unit, which was initially proposed by the French company Areva, to which India had not assented. The cost of power was believed to be a major sticking point between the two sides with the French side claiming that the reactors were expensive because of ‘enhanced safety measures’. France is also believed to have offered to provide India a loan for the project at 4.8 per cent interest rate for 25 years.
The decisions were reportedly arrived at during a meeting between National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon and the Chairman of France’s Commission on Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies (CEA), Benard Bigot, in Paris recently. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and Areva are reportedly working out further modalities in this regard. France however, is believed to have stated that there are other aspects relating to ‘project management’ and ‘liability issues’, which need ‘greater clarity and discussion’.
Further, the Indian side is believed to have exhorted France ‘to use it good offices’ to push the execution of the Indo-Japan Nuclear Deal, which France is expected to take up with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his visit to Paris in May this year.
Also: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/rCfErbl1mIGN2cq87OaVHJ/India-France-agree-on-cost-of-power-generated-by-Jaitapur-n.html
