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Journalism of Courage
Clearly irked by the uncertainty surrounding the Koodankulam nuclear power plant that it is helping India to build,Russia on Tuesday warned that it would have to consider redeploying the scientists and technicians,who are now stuck at the plant premises without any work,if the ground situation does not get better.
We cannot allow our scientists to remain idle endlessly, said Russian ambassador Alexander M Kadakin,noting that the scientists have been waiting for the protests against the plant to end for months now.
He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a cultural function here on Tuesday.
The service of nuclear energy experts now present at Koodankulam plant was required elsewhere in the world and also in Russia,said Kadakin,adding,They are in great demand.
Atomstroyexport JSC,the engineering company which constructs nuclear power facilities abroad for Russian state-run atomic energy corporation,Rosatom,is involved in ongoing projects in China,Iran,Bulgaria,Turkey and Ukraine,besides two within Russia. Officials in Koodankulam said there are about 110 Russian experts at the plant now.
However,having delivered an oblique warning,the diplomat was quick to add that he was not setting any deadline for the Indian government. We are not exerting any pressure,we understand the predicament of the Indian government, he said in reply to a query.
The situation at Koodankulam,where villagers are protesting against the plants commissioning,figured at the highest level when PM Manmohan Singh met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on his visit to Russia in December. Singh had assured Russia that the first unit would be on stream in a few weeks and the second in six months,though both sides deferred signing the agreement to commission two more plants,as planned earlier.
