Kudankulam to be operational next month,PM tells Putin

I am pleased to inform Mr President that Kudankulam unit 1 will be operational,in particular from next month, Singh told Putin at the start of his meeting on the margins of the BRICS summit on Tuesday night.

Singhs assurance comes in the wake of the delay in operationalising the first 1,000 MW reactor at Kudankulam,which has faced stiff opposition from anti-nuclear activists. To address this,the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board had ordered stringent safety reviews during which some parts had to be replaced as a precautionary measure.

Russia agreed,and these parts were changed.

The PMs word means that all tests are now complete and the first reactor can go critical. According to plan,the second reactor should be operational within a year.

More importantly,sources said,Singh conveyed to Putin that India will go ahead and buy Kudankulam 3 and 4 reactors. Although for the record,Singh said internal approvals had to be secured for units 3 & 4.

Moscow had earlier told New Delhi that the two additional reactors will cost more in the light of Indias new civil nuclear liability law. This is the clearest indication that India has decided to press ahead despite the cost concerns.

The 30-minute bilateral meeting also saw some divergences come to the fore. Of particular concern to India was Russias continued reticence to step up engagement with Afghanistan in the run-up to the 2014 transition.

Its reliably learnt that Putin indicated his preference to wait as Moscow expected considerable upheaval after the NATO pullout. Specifically,sources said,Afghanistan is keen on a high-level visit from Russia but there has been no response. Indias efforts to get Russia to intensify engagement have also not borne results.

If India could not persuade Russia to rethink its Afghan policy,Moscow did not make much headway with New Delhi on the Syrian issue. At the meeting,the Russian side wanted India to help facilitate a separate declaration from the BRICS summit against external intervention in Syria.

While the subject is part of the BRICS declaration,Russia and China wanted to emphasise this further by coming up with a separate document,critical of the Western approach. Host South Africa,which also chairs BRICS this year,was not too keen and Russia thought Indias support would clinch the issue. New Delhi,however,stayed away saying it was for South Africa to decide.