Kalpakkam nuclear plant safe: Dixit

Allaying fears, the government today said nuclear power plant at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu was "safe" in the wake of the tsunami disaster and there was no threat of radiation.

"There has been inaccurate speculation on the effect of tsunami tidal waves on the Kalpakkam plant. The basic facilities of the reactor are safe and unaffected in any manner," National Security Adviser JN Dixit told reporters after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presided over a high-level meeting here.

"Both units are safe and there is no danger of any radiation," Dixit said adding the Prime Minister has asked for daily briefing on the situation at the plant near Chennai.

Observing that the shutdown had been carried because of flooding to allow cleaning and de-watering to bring the plant back to normal functioning, he said the reactor II had been kept in "safe shutdown mode".

The Prime Minister has also asked Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar, who inspected the plant yesterday, to stay in Kalpakkam to monitor the situation.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board members would be reaching Kalpakkam tomorrow to give advise on starting the operations in the plant again, Dixit said. The Prime Minister held the meeting following reports that the facility may have been affected by tsunami.

Dixit said 61 deaths had been reported from the township and villages surrounding the plant. Of the total number casualties, 31 were from the plant, he said adding that most of the deaths occurred as people had assembled in churches close to the sea front on Sunday morning.

Stating that no plant had been effected due to the tidal waves nor was their any causality in the plants, Kakodkar told reporters that only a construction site of the plant was affected.

"There is absolutely no issue related to radiation as a result of this particular incident," he said adding unfortunately some scare had spread despite clarifying this aspect to the media yesterday.

"There is no concern about radiation release from any vicinity at the Kalpakkam site. There was no causalities in the plant," he said.

Besides opening up of a round the clock emergency cell, a temporary camp had been opened up for providing medical and other relief to the people.

Kakodkar said since then water and electricity supply in the affected areas had been restored and people had moved from the camp.

The official said the media is being regularly informed about the safety status of the Madras Atomic Power Station and other plants in Kalpakkam. "Our entire efforts has been towards taking care of the people who are effected in the colony", he said.