Build geological repository before AFR: Udayakumaran

At a time when constructing Away from Reactor (AFR) facility in Kudankulam has turned into a burning issue and Chief Minister MK Stalin, has wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi registering his protest for AFR, anti-nuke activist and founder of Pachai Tamizhagam, SP Udayakumaran, in an exclusive interview with DT Next, asked the Centre to construct Deep Geological Repository (DGR) before going for AFR. He also listed out the dangers associated with AFR and nuclear energy

The KKNPP, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and the nuclear establishment as a whole all over the world repeat this same song. Everything they do is safe and people need not worry. When Fukushima accident happened, former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Srikumar Banerjee said that it was just a chemical explosion and not a nuclear one. They are not open, transparent, honest and democratic in information sharing. The AFR will be storing extremely hot and highly radioactive 4,328 spent fuel rods. How can that be safe? How can that not affect people? The water and air and other effluents that come out of the AFR will be radioactive and can affect the people and the environment. AFR is as dangerous and threatening as a nuclear reactor.

Western countries are still struggling with nuclear technology and nuclear waste management. India is building the AFRs only now at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan. The Kudankulam reactors are much bigger and use foreign fuel rods and our folks are still struggling with reactors 1 and 2. Anything that emits radioactivity now and will pose dangers to our posterity is unsafe and unwelcome.

The then Karnataka CM Jagdish Shetter and the then Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily opposed the plan of burying Kudankulam waste at Kolar gold mines when the DAE announced it in 2012 November. Why cannot we Tamils do the same? We, the struggling people, welcome the stand of Chief Minister Stalin and congratulate him on taking side with the people of the state. This is how a leader should be.  Stand with his people and speak for his people. Even AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam has taken a clear stand on this issue. Several political party leaders have expressed their opposition. We thank them all.

The undemocratic and authoritarian Centre and its arrogant and haughty Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) will try to ignore the TN people’s feelings and sentiments. They may even insult us (by saying that we are foreign-funded, anti-development, seditious and so on) and intimidate us by foisting false cases, paramilitary mobilization etc. They do not understand or respect the ordinary people of India.

All we say is, let us have a complete blueprint, a holistic plan. If the government goes for a massive expansion of nuclear energy with nuclear power parks all over the country, then we must have a clear and concrete plan for waste disposal. They cannot say, “we will cross the bridge when we come to it.” That means they are unprepared, arrogant, and negligent about our people’s well-being. This attitude and approach are horrible and unacceptable. Let us choose a site for Deep Geological Repository (DGR) somewhere in the country, start building a safe and effective one that meets the international standard and then build your AFRs. If the DGR is not built now, we are afraid, they will try to dump all the dangerous spent-fuel rods in the AFRs and jeopardize our people’s lives. They say that we use closed fuel cycle methods and hence there will not be much waste. This is an irresponsible and deceitful response. Will there be no waste down the line, say 20 years or 200 years? Will it have to be stored somewhere safely and securely? If so, deal with the damn issue now. Do not postpone it for your own convenience.

We have lost faith in electoral politics. Parties and candidates spend huge amount of money to win the elections and after winning they swindle more money and so we decided not to contest in the local body elections.