Govt promises enhanced safety, compensation for Jaitapur-affected
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COMMENTS 
A new Rs 400 crore rehabilitation package and promises of stand-alone safety systems for each reactor are among new initiatives spelt out by the government to quell growing resistance against the Jaitapur nuclear power plant in Maharashtra
The Indian government is determined to go ahead with the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP) despite growing protests. But it has promised to enhance safety, with each reactor having its own stand-alone safety system. The government will also introduce a bill to create an autonomous nuclear regulatory body.
The government has promised absolute transparency in the country’s nuclear power programme. It has said that it will make greater effort to engage the local community in Jaitapur. A new and more generous compensation package for the local community is to be announced soon.
These decisions were revealed at a press conference following a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy.
The independent and autonomous nuclear regulatory authority to be set up will succeed the current Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
Taking into consideration the cascading impact of events at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, following the earthquake and tsunami, stand-alone safety mechanisms will be incorporated in the design of the reactors. Reports of committees set up to review the safety of atomic plants in the country immediately after the Fukushima disaster will be made public, Narayanasamy said.
Local communities living around the proposed nuclear power plant in Jaitapur, in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, have been protesting against the 9,900 MW power plant said to be the biggest in the world. Clashes with the police have injured several people and killed one in the past few weeks.
Government managers said a new compensation package worth approximately Rs 400 crore was being worked out. This includes individual payouts of up to Rs 10 lakh per acre to affected families, and targeted infrastructure projects for community development in the fields of education, health, civic amenities and business promotion.
The higher compensation of Rs 10 lakh per acre, up from Rs 4.5 lakh per acre in the earlier package, could be made in the form of an ex-gratia payment rather than pegging it at the value of the land acquired for the project, to avoid setting a benchmark for future projects elsewhere.
According to government officials, only about 7% of the 938 hectares acquired in four villages in and around Madban in Ratnagiri district where the nuclear plant is coming up is agricultural land. The major part is barren land, presently valued at between Rs 60,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh per acre.
Additionally, the package proposes that one member of each project-affected family will be employed by JNPP, subject to their eligibility. If they do not get employment they will be provided one-time compensation that could go up to Rs 5 lakh.
Cash compensations in the form of rehabilitation grants equal to 750 days minimum agriculture labour wages and a lifetime pension for vulnerable persons too have been proposed.
The package proposes construction of fishing jetties and cold storage for fishermen, marketing initiatives for local businesses and commercial shops in and around the NPCIL township exclusively for affected families.
An irradiation centre will also be set up for growers of the famous Alphonso mango who currently have to use irradiation facilities in Nashik district.
However, the government’s record on rehabilitating or compensating project-affected people has been dismal. Nearly 40 years after the government first acquired land for the Tarapur units 1 and 2, near Mumbai, people affected by that project have not been rehabilitated fully, according to the Thane Jilha Pradushan Mukt Sthanik Lokadhikar Sanstha which plans to revive its agitation.
India has 20 nuclear power reactors with a capacity of 4,780 megawatts; these are operated by the state-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd as the country doesn’t let private sector companies operate nuclear plants. India aims to expand its nuclear power generating capacity to 63,000 megawatts by 2032.
The nuclear park at Jaitapur will be spread over 938 hectares in four villages, and will require an investment of about Rs 100,000 crore spread over 15 years.
Source: The Indian Express, April 28, 2011
www.IBNlive.com, April 27, 2011
www.livemint.com, April 26, 2011