CHENNAI/BANGALORE: Former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who visited the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) on Sunday, has also come out with a 39-page report, along with his long-time aide, V Ponraj, recommending a Rs 200 crore 10- point action plan, on which he wants the State and Central governments to act.On the safety of the project hit by protests, Kalam said people should not have “even a nano sized doubt” over its safety as it met all the four safety aspects — nuclear criticality, radiation, thermal hydraulic and structural integrity safety.Speaking to Express in Bangalore, Ponraj said he took extreme care in drafting the report considering the sensitivities of the stakeholders involved. “I have visited many nuclear plants along with Dr Kalam and it gave rare insights for me while drafting the report.In the last three months, ever since I was given the task to script the report by Dr Kalam, I have been interacting with a numbers of nuclear scientists and experts. We have gone into lots of details and analysed the issue threadbare,” Ponraj said.Kalam’s team also interacted with various members of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) before finalising the report. “In addition, we have also taken suggestions from the people and activists,” said Ponraj, soon after landing at the Bangalore airport, along with Kalam.The team was heading to Chitradurga for an event organised by the Indian Institute of Science.The report states atomic energy is a boon to India.Kalam says he has been associated with the atomic energy department for 20 years and conducted research in research stations in countries like America and Russia. Observing that allaying the fears of the public is of paramount importance, Kalam wants the KKNPP to be implemented on schedule. He says the Central and State governments should counter the campaign of those who do not want the development of India and their ‘malicious’ propaganda.Kalam also recommends the implementation of a Koodankulam PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) covering 60 coastal villages at a cost of Rs 200 crore. Setting up factories within a 30- to 60- km radius around Koodankulam to provide employment to 10,000 people, loans with 25 per cent subsidy for youth to start businesses, a four-lane highway and a world-class hospital are some his proposals.
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