TIRUNELVELI: As many as 13 people, including a Russian citizen, tested positive for the coronavirus at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) here on Thursday. Twelve of them are being treated at an isolation ward in the Anu Vijay township, where they stay, while the other person, who is from a private outsourced company, has been hospitalised in Nagercoil.
“Health officials decided to conduct a special camp to screen people living in Anu Vijay township and working at KKNPP. The administration of the power plant has instructed employees to strictly follow the Covid guidelines and wear protective gear,” sources said.
Besides these 13 staff, about 20 residents of Kudankulam and its surrounding villages are being treated for Covid at the Government Hospital, Kudankulam. The KKNPP authorities did not respond to phone calls from Express.
Last year, contract labourers from North India, who were working at the KKNPP, staged a protest, demanding to return to their hometowns. They alleged they were made to live in unhygienic conditions. The Kudankulam police then registered a case against them.
Many of the workers tested positive for Covid, and were treated at the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital. Eventually, the district administration organised special trains for them to return home. Due to the shortage of workers, construction of the KKNPP’s units 3 and 4 had to be stopped.