Bhiwani,Hisar also in the running for Nuclear plant

Currently the NPCIL is setting up a 4 x 700 MW nuclear power plant in village Gorakhpur in Fatehabad district in the state.

Kaushal was interacting with media persons following a presentation made by a team of the NPCIL regarding safety concerns of nuclear plants in the country following the Fukushima nuclear crises.

Giving details of the Gorakhpur project Kaushal said sanction for the nuclear plant in Fatehabad had been granted in 1984 by the Haryana Government,and thereafter,successive governments had approved it. “There is no political dispute about the location of the plant,” he said.

“Surveys were carried out in 2000-01,2004 and 2007,and Section 4 was issued on July 29,2010,information about which was published in various newspapers on August 14,2010. There is a provision to issue Section 6 after a year,and it will probably be issued on July 28,2011,” Kaushal added.

He disclosed that in all,1503.4 acres of land would be acquired for this purpose out of which 1313.46 acres was in Gorakhpur and Kajadhedi. About 38 acres was panchayati and shamalat land which was under government control. No forest or residential land formed part of it. The people of Fatehabad have given letters of oath for 900 acres to the Deputy Commissioner,and have welcomed the decision to set up the nuclear plant. As many as 191 objections had been received which would be given a hearing,Kaushal said.

Earlier,addressing a host of senior officers from the power and pollution departments,K. B. Dixit,Executive Director of the Nuclear Energy Corporation of India,said all the nuclear plants in India are fully safe and working properly,and India will never face Japan-like situation as there is a lot of geographical difference between the two countries.

He said Japan was one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. It falls in Zone 5 of the earthquake-prone region which covers high-risk areas where earthquakes of greater intensity occur. The recent earthquake in Japan was of 9 degree magnitude. As per zoning of the earthquake-prone region,India falls under Zone 3.

Dixit said the main earthquake belt of Indian territory comprised the north-east area and the upper areas of the Himalayas. “Since most of the nuclear plants are about 900 to 1,300 kms away from this earthquake belt,these are fully safe”,he added.

Dixit said that the first nuclear plant was set up in India in 1969 and since then it had been working smoothly. Now the corporation has adopted a policy to set up nuclear plants of 700 MW. In Haryana also,four plants each of 700 MWs,would be set up at Gorakhpur in Fatehabad district.