Kalam Recommends Rs 200 Crore Action Plan For Koodankulam

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam has suggested a 200 crore rupee action plan for development of the area around Koodankulam nuclear project saying that people should not have any doubt over the power plant's safety.

In his study report submitted to the Tamilnadu Government, Kalam, who visited the site ,vouched for the safety of the controversial project. He said, the Koodankulam nuclear project meets all the four safety aspects - nuclear criticality, radiation, thermal hydraulic and structural integrity safety. Therefore, people should not have "even a nano sized doubt" over its safety, he said. He also called for efforts to remove people's fears by providing relevant information. He said with their full co-operation, the plant should start functioning as scheduled to enable Tamil Nadu to get 1000 MW power

Hid report recommends construction of a four- lane highway connecting Koodankulam and villages 30 km around it with Madurai, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari, a world-class hospital with over 500-beds, mobile medical facilities to locals and creation of 10,000 jobs to people in the radius of 30 to 60 km. Providing bank loans to youth with upto 25 per cent subsidy was another suggestion. 

Kalam has also suggested creating infrastructure facilities like construction of green houses, multi-storeyed housing complex, and playgrounds. He said fishermen in the area should be provided with motorboats, small jetties and fish cold storage facilities. 

He said efforts should be made to provide locals one million litres of drinking water through desalination process and water should be brought from Pechiparai reservoir in Kanyakumari district for agriculture and drinking water needs.

He said the "Koodankulampura" project plan prepared along with his advisor V.Ponraj should be implemented before by the Centre before 2015.