Akali Dal shoots down Centre’s proposal to set up atomic plant in Punjab

Manish Sirhindi

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 28

Even as the Central government has started looking for possible sites in Punjab, especially near Patiala, for setting up an atomic power plant, the ruling Akali Dal in the state has shot down the proposal with party general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra claiming that no such plant would be allowed to be set up here.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh had yesterday put on record that the Union government was exploring the possibility of having new nuclear plants at some places, including Dehradun in Uttarakhand and near Patiala in Punjab. Besides, the Union minister has been looking for a place near Bhiwani in Haryana for an atomic plant. The minister was speaking at a conference on nuclear power organised by Assocham in New Delhi.

However, Chandumajra, who is also SAD MP from Anandpur Sahib, said, “The party’s (SAD) stand on the issue is very clear. We will never allow any nuclear project to come up in the state.”

Jitendra Singh, who looks after the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), had stated that the Centre could consider setting up nuclear plants in the northern states to bring atomic power to the north.

Countering the claims made by the MoS, Chandumajra said given its geographically location, Punjab was least suited for a nuclear plant. He suggested that Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh was more suitable and the government should give another thought to the proposal.

As of today, of the 22 nuclear power plants in the country, majority are located in western and southern India and are most confided to Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

The Centre purposes to source at least 25 per cent energy from the nuclear sector in the next 10 years.

In this connection, Russia had offered India a new range of reactor units and an inter-governmental agreement between the two countries had been signed in December 2008.