10 April 2012 07:01 am
In response to a statement by a Sri Lankan minister that in September, his country will raise the issue with global atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency or IAEA, Karunanidhi said, “The Kudankulam plant did not start yesterday, been there for a long time. If Lanka raises doubts now it is unacceptable.”
The nuclear project at Kudankulam in coastal Tamil Nadu, will upon completion, be India's largest atomic power plant. Phase 1 will see two nuclear reactors generating electricity within the next few months. The Kudankulam nuclear plant is 250 km from Sri Lanka's northwest coastal town of Mannar.
"We respect the right of India to have nuclear power stations. But our concerns are on the possible radiation affects they could have on Sri Lanka. We have already written a letter (to IAEA) ", Sri Lanka's Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka said. The minister said the IAEA had proposed that a mutual agreement on the matter should be reached between the two countries. "We have sent a proposal to India through the External Affairs Ministry and the Indians have sent back a note on the matter," he said.
"I don't need to tell the Centre what to do, I am sure it will do the needful," said Mr Karunanidhi. (NDTV)