Combating the Nuclear Lobby in India

Saraswati Kavula

Saraswati Kavula is a Filmmaker-Activist and Farmer. She is also the Joint Convener, National Alliance of People’s Movements, Andhra Pradesh Chapter.

A version of this article was published in “Journalist”, March 2012 edition.

Andhra Pradesh has since a long time been on the Nuclear Map of India. Hyderabad is home to the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), established in the year 1971. The complex is responsible for the supply of nuclear fuel bundles and reactor core components for all the nuclear power reactors operating in India. The next connection is the Electronics Corporation of India Limited, ECIL, established in 1967, by the Dept of Atomic Energy. ECIL supplies Control & Instrumentation products for Nuclear Power Plants; Integrated Security Systems to Nuclear installations and Radiation Monitoring instruments, in addition to the Secured Networking of all DAE units via satellite. The third connection is the Heavy Water Plant at Manuguru in Khammam District, established on the banks of the Godavari River in 1991. As far as nuclear power plants are concerned two attempts were made: one in 1986 to set up a Nuclear Power Plant in Kovvada, Srikakulam district, while the second attempt for a nuclear Power plant happened in 1988 at a site close to the Nagarjunasagar Dam. Both these projects had to be dropped by the then establishment due to public pressure.

Then there have been attempts to start Uranium mining in Peddagattu and Lambapur villages abutting Nagarjuna sagar reservoir in Nalgonda district since 2003 which has been once again put on a back burner due to the local people’s resistance. The strange issue here is that while Dr. Y.S.Rajasekhar Reddy opposed the Uranium Mining in Nalgonda as leader of opposition in 2003, in 2005, as chief minister he changed stance, saying the project was safe. When people demanded to know how he changed his opinion in a span of less than two years, he claimed that he got convinced that the said departments will take all safety measures. However, though the people of Kadapa did protest, they were either lured with a promise of jobs and good compensation or they were threatened with dire consequences if they opposed. It was thus that with a strong political suppression of people’s voices, the Uranium Mining project at Tummalapalle village, in Kadapa District was started in 2007. The impacts of the mining have just begun to show in the surrounding villages’ ground water three years after the mining activity started. Now, after having split from the Congress the leader of YSR Congress YS Jaganmohan Reddy is opposing the Uranium Mining project in Kadapa, and only time will tell about the fate of the people living in the nearby villages. However up until now, the people of Nalgonda district have been able to prevent UCIL from setting foot in the district. The media, especially the vernacular print media took up the issue with great zeal and made the issue one of the most talked about issues in the state and the activists of MAUP (Movement Against Uranium Projects), kept the issue alive conducting regular public awareness activities in other districts like Khammam, Krishna, Guntur districts, which are dependent on the water from Nagarjunasagar.