Fast against TN nuclear plant off on CM's promise of cabinet resolution

The 11-day-long fast and other protests by villagers against the Kudankulam nuclear power project has been called off following a meeting between activist leaders and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, where she assured them that the state cabinet would pass a resolution against the project and take up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The breakthrough came a day after minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy met the protesters - many of them fishermen who fear loss of their livelihood - and said later that the union government could do a 're-think' on the project.

Jayalalithaa told the protesters that "The cabinet will be convened on September 22 and it will adopt a resolution (urging the Centre) to not to go ahead with the works on the plant site till the people's fears are removed," a government statement said.

The protesters have been demanding that the project to install two 1,000mw reactors at Kudankulam be scrapped, despite assurances that the Russian reactors were safe and could survive earthquakes and tsunamis.

Earlier on Wednesday, Narayanasamy briefed Jayalalithaa on his visit to the main protest venue at Idinthakarai village, besides conveying the prime minister's message to her. "The chief minister conveyed a certain message for the prime minister which I will carry to him," he told reporters at the state secretariat.

Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) chairman S K Jain, additional secretary in the Department of Atomic Energy A P Joshi and Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project director M Kasinath Balaji were present when Narayanasamy met Jayalalithaa.