Monday 14 November, 2011.

Koodankulam Nuclear power plant is 'very well protected' India's nuclear watchdog AERB has said that the controversial Koodankulam nuclear plant is very well protected while the national disaster management authority which frequently reviews safety measures said that the nuclear plant is designed to withstand earthquakes. Amid concerns over the Koodankulam nuclear power project, the National Disaster Management Authority has said safety measures are in place. "Earthquake is a matter of great concern to us, especially in the six nuclear states of the country. The list of seismically vulnerable places is being constantly revised". All the measures taken by the government and other agencies are "foolproof", NDMA vice-chairman Shashidar Reddy said. "However, there is still scope for additional facilities to further bolster safety at these plants, especially after what happened in Fukushima (in Japan)," he said. On the recent protests in Koodankulam that have stalled work on the project for over a month now, Reddy said the government and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board had undertaken a thorough review of the safety measures at the site as part of its assessment of nuclear plants across the country in the wake of Fukushima disaster. On Friday, India's nuclear watchdog AERB had claimed the controversial Koodankulam plant was "very well protected" but the NDMA, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is taking no chances as it conducts mock drills at all nuclear sites and frequently reviews safety measures. (ST-13/11)