Nothing unusual about peoples fear: Jaya to PM

CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday said the fear psychosis among the people of Koodankulam and surrounding villages about the atomic power plant was quite normal and urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to send competent authorities to hold discussions with the people to address their concerns.The Chief Minister, in her letter to the Prime Minister, said the people of Koodankulam had apprehensions over the safety of the reactor in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown triggered by a tsunami in Japan and other similar nuclear-related accidents reported in the media. “It is only natural that the people living here fear for the safety of their families,” she said.“While many welfare measures have been taken by my government for the benefit of fishermen living along the 1,076-km-long coastline of Tamil Nadu, an issue relating to the government of India project is disturbing the normal life of the people in the Koodankulam area,” Jayalalithaa said.She further said that the scope and magnitude of the issue were creating a fear psychosis among the people in villages surrounding Koodankulam. “It is surprising to note that till date no responsible minister or higher authorities concerned from the Centre visited the people or even attempted to assuage their feelings,” she said.It was naturally expected that at least Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan, who hails from Tamil Nadu, would make an attempt to visit these people, the Chief Minister said and added that in an interview to the press, she had said that the subject comes under the purview of the Atomic Energy Commission and her ministry had nothing to do with it.Since the Atomic Energy Commission is under the direct control of the Prime Minister, Jayalalithaa requested on behalf of the people of the villages surrounding Koodankulam to send the competent authorities concerned to hold discussions with the people of Koodankulam. “Since nobody from the Government of India has so far deigned to visit Koodankulam, I propose to send an all-party delegation led by Finance Minister O Panneerselvam along with representatives of the people to call on you,” she said.On Monday, Jayalalithaa  has asked the PM not to continue any work on  theplant until the Centre allayed the fears of the people’s fears.