Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The death of a villager in police firing during protests against the proposed nuclear power project at Jaitapur is tragic. And,given the nature of the protests,their political character is undeniable,as is the political instigation. It was not just Mondays protests that were led allegedly by Shiv Sena activists. The bandh called by the Sena in coastal Ratnagiri district to protest Mondays police firing also turned gruesomely violent,with a mob ransacking a district hospital and torching buses. The context is the Maharashtra opposition sharpening its attack on the state government. That is why,its time to take stock of the harmful effect of the politicisation of the protests. The contest between the Shiv Sena and the NCP for the Konkan coast cannot be allowed to derail development projects and wreck individual lives.
Its natural for questions to be raised about nuclear projects. However,it benefits nobody and no answer is of any help when the hue and cry is just a cover for a luddite,all-out hostility demanding nothing less than a cancellation of the project. Here are some home truths: the 9,900 MW Jaitapur plant would provide electricity to some 10 million homes; India has an acute peak-hour power deficit of approximately 12 per cent which slows down its growth; almost 40 per cent Indians still lack electricity; when greenhouse gas emissions and clean energy are paramount concerns,nuclear energy is currently the most viable solution; the present 3 per cent of Indias power from nuclear energy is too little and the target of 20,000 MW by 2020 should be met.
