Koodankulam: Hunger strike enters fifth day

TIRUNELVELI: The hunger strike being staged  by the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) cadres at Idinthakarai in Tirunelveli district demanding the closure of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) entered the fifth day on Friday. Following the State government’s green signal to commission the KKNPP, PMANE coordinator SP Udayakumar along with Pushparayan and 15 other people from Idinthakarai and adjoining areas launched an indefi nite hunger strike, demanding the closure of KKNPP. Meanwhile, Section 144 was imposed in Radhapuram taluk, under which Idinthakarai comes and police started cordoning off the area. Cops have also allegedly stopped the supply of essential commodities to Idinthakarai. The agitators have put up barricades using trees along the stretch leading to Idinthakarai hamlet.However, from Thursday police started withdrawing their forces and on Friday, only a small team was present at the two entry points to Idinthakarai. All vehicles, including media vans, were being checked thoroughly by the police before being allowed to enter Idinthakarai. Hundreds of men and women from Idinthakarai and surrounding villages are sitting in support of Udayakumar’s hunger strike. Vegetables, groceries and other materials needed to make food for these people were brought through sea route in the past few days because of the police ban. But on Friday, as normality returned, small trucks were found transporting water and other materials from neighbouring areas. During noon, on instructions from the Collector, a team of medical staff came and conducted a check on Udayakumar and 15 other agitators.  After checking BP, heart beat and other parameters of the 15 agitators, Dr Ramalingam, who was heading the team, told media persons that the condition of Udayakumar and Pushparayan was stable. “Some others, who were on hunger strike, told us about the ailments they had and we tried to give medicine to them. But the demonstrators did not allow us to give medicines to them and wanted us to give only prescriptions,” added the doctor. He further said that a medical team would be present near the venue to conduct regular check-up. As Idinthakarai was facing frequent power cuts, the entire shamiana was provided with uninterrupted power supply through generators.