COIMBATORE: An interactive session on the Koodankulam issue by M R Srinivasan, former chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, with the public was disrupted here on Thursday evening by a group of protestors, who entered the meeting hall and started a heated argument with him. When the event was about to end, 15 protesters entered the venue and raised slogans. R Ramesh from Koodankulam, who had conducted a research on the plant, said that there had been reports of volcanic eruptions from areas near the Koodankulam plant. “We have been demanding a volcanic hazard study as well as a tsunami hazard study of the area before commissioning the plant,” he said.Though Srinivasan asked the protesters to forward the reports, he refused to answer their questions, which resulted in a heated argument.After about half an hour of the ‘agitation’, the meeting ended abruptly.Earlier, during the interaction, Srinivasan strongly favoured nuclear energy and the KKNPP project. “The reactor, a third-generation reactor, has better safety measures. The reactors in the Fukushima were first-generation reactors,” he said.Nuclear energy is a must for the country in the present circumstances in view of the fast depleting coal mines and other sources of energy.“In the case of TN, commissioning of Koodankulam project is essential as we have already exploited major eneegy sources,” he said. “Measures for foolproof safety have been taken as the government has invested more than `15,000 crore in the project. The buildings are located at a higher elevation than tsunami waves can reach and have protection in case of seismic activity. Besides, the region has no history of tsunami or earthquake on a scale which can be harmful.
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