For immediate release Press Release An Old PMANE Press Release January 19, 2004 People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) @ WSF-Mumbai xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx Nagercoil 629 002,Tamil Nadu, India Coordinators: Y. David, George Gomez, S. P. Udayakumar Email: drspudayakumar@yahoo The activists of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) stage a one-day token hunger-strike at the World Social Forum venue on January 20, 2004 to demand of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Government of India to respect the Indian citizens’ Right to Information and to release the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Site Evaluation Study, and the Safety Analysis Report that are claimed to have been done for the upcoming Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in southern Tamil Nadu. Even though these studies are now outdated and many changes have been brought about in the project, the public has a right to know what the government really argues. The PMANE demands further that the DAE and the Government of India respect the Right to Life and Livelihood of the farmers, fisherfolk and others of southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala and cancel the Koodankulam project that will jeopardize the soil, water and air of southern India and the health and well-being of the people there who already have a high incidence of cancer and other natural radiation-related illnesses. Moreover, the area is also seismically vulnerable and a hazard in times of the so-called war against terrorism. The recent Supreme Court judgment that information relating to nuclear installations in India could not be made public in the national interest dismays but does not surprise us. This only shows that the authorities are in reality not willing to distinguish between the so-called peaceful use of nuclear energy and military purposes. This outrageous decision reinforces the anti-people and anti-democratic tendencies of the DAE. We assert the Indian citizens’ right to know the impacts of such projects on their and their children’s health, safety and environment. The PMANE appeals to the Indian people to wake up to the reality and launch a massive struggle for the protection of life and livelihood as well as democracy and peace. The DAE never obtained proper permission to construct the two nuclear reactors at Koodankulam. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has been ignored and the environmental laws and stipulations overlooked. Even the EIA allegedly done in 1988 for the year 2007 project is not shared with the Indian citizens. No public hearing has been conducted. Instead, the DAE keeps on increasing the number of reactors at Koodankulam from two to six. They are also planning a reprocessing plant there. Keeping the civil and political societies in the dark, the DAE is acting with no transparency and accountability whatsoever. All this is done with the blessings of our so-called leaders and their political parties under the cover of the Official Secrecy Act. We affirm the Right to Information and the Right to Life and Livelihood. Please attend our WSF Seminar on January 20, 2004 from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM at D-128.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 18:00:32 +0000
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