SC Seeks Centre, AERB Reply on K-plant Safety Measures

The Supreme Court on Monday sought replies from the Centre and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) on a plea against commissioning of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project on the ground that its 15-point directions on ensuring safety in and around the plant have not been complied with so far.

A bench comprising Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice Dipak Misra issued notices to the Department of Atomic Energy, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, the Tamil Nadu government and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.

The court posted the matter for hearing to January on the plea of G Sundarrajan who had moved the court against the commissioning of the plant.

The court while giving nod to the functioning of the plant had given directions relating to environment protection, disaster management, safety of people, quality of systems and components in the plant.

Alleging violations, G Sundarrajan filed a new application against the Madras High Court order which did not entertain the petition and asked Sundarrajan to move the apex court.

“AERB, on 4 July 2013, had given a clearance for commissioning of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project without ensuring that all the directions have been complied with,” the petition said.

“On July 4, even without verifying the basis of materials to be made available to AERB by other authorities on whether the directions issued by this court were fully implemented, AERB hurriedly granted clearance for the commissioning of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project,” it said.

The petition, filed through lawyer Prashant Bhushan, said Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, had on July 8 filed the compliance report that shows that the conditions relating to on-line continuous monitoring of the temperature and development of green belt around the project boundary imposed in the environmental clearance were not complied with.