HRF opposes Kovvada Nuclear Power Plant

Srikakulam: Proposed nuclear power plant (NPP) at Kovvada village in Ranastalam mandal will pose a threat to safety of public in north coastal Andhra districts and also adjacent areas of Odisha and East Godavari, said former Energy Secretary for Union government EAS Sharma.

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, along with representatives of Human Rights Forum (HRF), Forum for Better Visakhapatnam and CITU, he explained that Kovvada area comes under earthquake zone and near to it mild tremors occurred about 30 times in a span of two years which is danger to NPP.

If any untoward incident occurred, human and marine life will be affected severely from Chathrapur of Odisha state to Kakinada of East Godavari district.

Without assessing environment impact properly, the Central and State governments are showing interest over the NPP, he lamented. HRF state vice-president K V Jagannadha Rao appealed to people of all areas of the three north coastal Andhra districts, along with adjacent areas of Odisha and East Godavari district, to initiate fight against the proposed NPP for their safety.

He recalled that the Central government has shifted the NPP location from Mithivirdhi in Gujarat, the native state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Kovvada. Innocence of north AP people is a boon for Central and State governments to propose NPP here which will cause severe damage to both human and marine life to an extent of 200 km radius.

CITU district general secretary Duppala Govinda Rao said that they were creating awareness among people of all villages who would be displaced under NPP in Ranastalam mandal, but both the Central and State governments were announcing packages to lure innocent
people.