Koodankulam: Protests rise,scientists’ entry blocked

Stepping up their protest against the Koodankulam nuclear power plant,agitators on Thursday staged a roadblock in front of the plant site,preventing entry of scientists and workers into the complex.

The protest hitherto confined to fast took a new turn even as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa assured the local population that their sentiments would be respected. “As far as Koodankulam nuclear power project is concerned,Tamil Nadu government will certainly act respecting the local people’s sentiments. I will be one among you in the issue,” she told a campaign rally ahead of next week’s civic polls.

Speaking after the more than three-hour-long road blockade,Pushparayon,one of the convenors of the agitation,said the stir would be intensified if the Central and state governments did not take steps to scrap the project. He told PTI that the anti-nuclear energy movement was firm in opposing the plant. “We are worried about the impact of the plant on the people and the environment,” he said.