N- row: Atomic panel head to meet TN officials

CHENNAI: Top officials of the Indian nuclear establishment will meet Tamil Nadu officials Friday to discuss ways to allay the fears of villagers in Tirunelveli district who are opposing the Koondankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP).Sources told IANS that Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Srikumar Banerjee and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) chairman and managing director S.K.Jain will meet the state's Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi.India's nuclear power plant operator NPCIL is building two 1,000 MW nuclear power reactors with Russian technology and equipment in Koodankulam, around 650 km from here. The first unit is expected to go on stream in December. The project is estimated to cost around Rs.13,160 crore.Villagers say they fear for their lives and safety in case of any nuclear accident and the long-term impact it would have on the population.The project work has come to a standstill since last month as the agitators intensified their protest by blocking the roads leading to the nuclear power project site, and the local administration has advised the KNPP staff to sit tight inside their homes, fearing violence.