Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Kudankulam nuke project: PM keeps his promise to Jayalalithaa

October 05, 2011 12:42 IST

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will on Friday meet an all-party delegation from Tamil Nadu to discuss the state administrations' concerns over the Kudankulam nuclear project.

He will meet the delegation at his residence in 7 Race Course Road in Delhi to dispel apprehensions about the safety of the nuclear project.

The delegation will be headed by Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Paneerselvam, who will present a memorandum to the prime minister.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had earlier urged Dr Singh to halt work on the project till the fears of the people in the area, about the nuclear plant, are allayed. In a strongly-worded letter to the PM, she had accused the Centre of "abdicating" its responsibilities over the project.

Dr Singh had told her that he needed her guidance on the issue and assured her that he would meet the delegation on the issue after his return from New York.

The Rs 13, 000-crore nuclear power project at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district is a joint project by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and Atomstroyexport of Russia. The project has run into rough weather after locals intensified their protests against the project, demanding that it be shelved.

By a correspondent In Delhi