Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation is trying to forge a broad alliance with organisations in Tamil Nadu for a protest movement against the proposed Koodamkulam nuclear power project.

The federation initiated moves to link up with sympathetic organisations in Kanyakumari, Thirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts of Tamil Nadu that were close to the proposed project site. It would chalk out a campaign covering the two States to highlight the threats posed by the project to traditional communities and the public in general.

The federation urged the Department of Atomic Energy and the Union Government to publish the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the Koodamkulam nuclear power project and organise public hearings in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Pathanamthitta for the fisherfolk to air their concerns.

Federation State president T. Peter said the project would have a devastating effect on the Kerala coast. He feared that it would deprive the fisherfolk in South Tamil Nadu and Kerala of their livelihood. "The commissioning of this project will spell the end of `God's Own Country'. People in Kerala, right from the Tamil Nadu border to Kochi, will be affected by radioactive waste from the plant. The discharge of hot water with radioactive pollutants into the sea will increase the temperature of the seawater in the coastal areas and drive away or kill fish. The consequent depletion of fish stocks will push fishermen into further poverty and misery". The federation said the social cost of the project would outweigh the benefits.

"A nuclear reactor inevitably creates radioactive waste. Looking at the economics, the cost of mining the radioactive ore, production of the nuclear fuel, construction of the power plant, cancer, leukaemia and birth defects caused by the release of radiation during plant operation, as well as the cost of storing or reprocessing the reactor cores and cleaning up and decommissioning the reactor imposes a huge burden on the State. One also has to take into account the catastrophic failure if the reactor cores are dispersed into the environment," a statement issued by the federation said.

It also pointed out that the southern tip of the country was seismically vulnerable and had experienced quite a few small tremors. Cyclones, huge monsoon thunderstorms, unrelenting sea erosion and increasing global warming could also prove dangerous for the plant. And if a tsunami struck, it would be a major disaster, it observed.

Mr. Peter said the project would have an impact on the tourism sector in Kerala. "The westerly winds will bring with it all the radioactive waste to the coasts of Kerala. And no foreign or Indian tourist will like to risk visiting a radioactive zone. The Koodamkulam project will sound the death knell for Kerala. The State Government cannot allow such a dangerous project to be commissioned. It must immediately demand cancellation of this nuclear power plant for the sake of millions of Keralites living on the coast," he said.

The federation alleged that there was no transparency and accountability by the Department of Atomic Energy and Government of India when it came to nuclear power plants. "Critics are even threatened with action under the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Official Secrets Act", the statement said.

Mr. Peter said the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board was sidestepped by the DAE in getting proper permission for setting up the Koodamkulam project. "The mandatory public hearing has not been conducted to this day. The first attempt to conduct a token public hearing at Thirunelveli was stopped by the people during the first week of October this year," he said.

The federation demanded a proper EIA report and public hearing on the project in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Kollam districts, since these areas were close to the proposed site.

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