The Hindu : Front Page : We can’t avoid nuclear power: Buddhadeb

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 18, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

We can’t avoid nuclear power: Buddhadeb

Staff Reporter

“We have, however, certain doubts about the environmental problems, the cost of nuclear plants…”

— Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury

Moving ahead: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee with CII president and CMD of Bharti Enterprises Sunil Bharti Mittal (right); CII vice-president and Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank Limited K.V. Kamath (left) and Managing Director & CEO of Hero Cycles Ltd. (C.R. Division) Sunil Kant Munjal at the national council meeting of the CII in Kolkata on Monday.

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday came out in favour of nuclear power as one of the sources for meeting the country’s future energy requirements .

“We just cannot avoid nuclear power,” he said, when asked about the implications of the India-United States civilian nuclear deal while participating at an interactive session with members of the National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here.

“We have, however, certain doubts about the environmental problems, the cost of [setting up] nuclear plants and the price of electricity generated by them,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said, while referring to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement about the need to usher in a “nuclear renaissance.” All these issues will have to be properly assessed and addressed by scientists, planners as well as corporate people, he added.

Call for debate

“Let the scientists debate the issue and come to a consensus,” he said. While Mr. Bhattacharjee described his view as “technical rather than political,” industry leaders interpreted it as a positive sign. “It is a cautious yes,” said Sunil Mittal, president, CII.

Mr. Bhattacharjee said that with increasing growth rate and flow of Foreign Direct Investment, there was need for power in the State.

“We need ‘green power’ in the context of global warming and our scientific advisers are asking us to switch over to non-conventional energy sources such as solar, wind or from river waves,” he added. Ninety-six per cent of power in West Bengal was of thermal origin.

Mr. Bhattacharjee said a careful study of the party literature and resolutions of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) showed that the party had evolved from its earlier position on private capital and was debating new policies. “We Communists are not fools; we are realists and learn from changes taking place elsewhere in the world.”

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page