Work on Kudankulam resumes amid tight security

A day after Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa agreed to allow the Kudankulam nuclear power project to go ahead, work resumed at the site on Tuesday, amid tight security and continuing protests against the plant, with some 300 scientists reportedly escorted inside the site.

Protests against the plant have been continuing almost since its inception, but they intensified after the Fukushima disaster in May last year. People all along the Tirunelveli coast, mostly fisherfolk, fear the loss of their livelihood if the plant comes up, while others are concerned about the potential for disaster.

Vast security was deployed around the plant as work resumed, with central paramilitary forces and more than 5,000 personnel from various wings of the Tamil Nadu police, including the Rapid Action Force and the Armed Police.

More than 180 people were reportedly arrested on Monday night, including 15 activists of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) leading the agitation. These have been charged with sedition and waging war against the country.

Section 144 which bans groups of people from gathering in public places has been announced in and around Kudankulam. Police officials said the entry points to Kudankulam and Idinthakarai villages were blocked and all the hamlets around the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project were brought under police control.

Meanwhile, many locals led by PMANE convener S P Udayakumar have were on a 'fast-unto-death' strike at Idinthakarai since Monday afternoon to protest the Tamil Nadu government's decision to support the nuclear project.