State panel heads for Jaitpur amid protests against N-power plant

A six-member Congress committee appointed by the Maharashtra government is visiting Jaitapur today to assess the situation on the upcoming nuclear plant there in the wake of strong protests by farmers and environmentalists against the world's largest nuclear power project.

The fact-finding team will review the controversial plant site after an impact assessment study said the plant would be a social disaster.

An impact assessment report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), meanwhile, strongly criticised the nuclear power plant being proposed in the Konkan region.

The findings suggest that the government subverted facts and called fertile agricultural land barren.

It also says that the Jaitapur project is sitting on a high to moderate severity earthquake zone.

"A Congress committee is going to Jaitapur. The committee will talk to locals and fishermen there. We will listen to their views and problems," Maharashtra Congress chief Manikrao Thakre said.