Anti-nuke plant stir to shift gears

Kovvada: Planning a prolonged agitation on the lines of anti-Kudankulam nuclear plant stir, about 8,000 farmers and fisherfolk are gearing up for a final showdown with the state on the proposed nuclear power plant at Kovvada in Srikakulam district.
Taking a strident stand, the agitators said they would not part with even one inch of their land for the proposed nuclear plant.
The farmers and fisherfolk from Ramachandrapuram, Tekkali, Kotapalem, Jeeru Kovvada and Gudem villages have drawn up an agitation plan for carrying out a sustained protest programme. Sources said the villagers were upset with the recent GO issued by the state government, giving thumbs up for the plant authorities to start the land acquisition process.
The villagers assert that Kovvada is not suitable for a nuclear plant as it is located close to the coast and fear a Fukushima-type disaster. "Their fears cannot be ignored as Kovvada is a shore-based plant and the area where the authorities intent to set up the plant is notified under seismic zone II," pointed out an environmentalist, professor Babu Rao.
Experts said the authorities have not made plans for the ‘sterilised' zone. Within the sterilised zone, up to 5 km where no development should take place, 42 villages are located. In the ‘emergency planning' zone alone, up to 16 km, there are 66 villages while a large number of people reside in the ‘impact assessment' zone, up to 30 km. "The threat of evacuation in the event of an accident will constantly linger in their minds," Rao said.
Appanna, a farmer from Jeeru Kovvada, said the authorities assured them of a ‘good' rehabilitation and resettlement package. "They also assured that the plant is going to be hi-tech and that it would automatically shut down in case of any calamity like an earthquake or a tsunami. We are not bothered about the package. Our worry is over the government's moves to take over our fertile land to build the nuclear plant," he said.
Another farmer Kistappa Dora said the authorities should set up such plants in barren land and not in fertile land. "They cannot deprive us of our livelihood. We are united in our demand and we will not budge from here," he warned.
The government is planning to acquire 1,916 acres for the proposed plant. Nearly 7,960 individuals from 1983 households will be displaced.
Experts said three nuclear facilities - proposed BARC plant near Atchyutapuram, the Eastern Naval Command's nuclear submarine base at Rambilli and the Kovvada plant –within a radius of 150 km could pose a grave danger to the environment and the people residing in the zone.