[sacw] South Asian Against Nukes Post (14 June 00)

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asians Against Nukes Post
14 June 2000

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Against Nukes; All the upcoming messages will be archived & available to
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__________________________

#1. Bangladesh: Rooppur N-plant to start as early as possible
#2. India: Protest against the proposed Nuclear Power Plant in W. Bengal
#3. India: New set up overseeing safety of military nuclear installations
#4. Sino-Pak Nuclear Co-operation
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#1.

News From Bangaldesh
14 June 2000

PM says in reply tabled in JS: Rooppur N-plant to start as early as possible

The much-awaited Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project would start as early
as possible with the availability of fund, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
said in a reply tabled in Parliament as she is away in Syria to attend
funeral of President Hafez al-Assad, reports UNB.
Replying to a question of Shamsur Rahman Sharif of Awami League, she said
the proposed nuclear power plant is estimated to produce 600 MW
electricity. Later, a second plant with a capacity of 600 MW will be set up
at the same site.
The Prime Minister said the Director General of International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) gave assurance of implementing the project. Assurance
of cooperation was also received for execution of different phases of the
project.
She informed the House that steps taken in last 37 years were not enough
to solve problems relating to the project. The present government resolved
many problems and prepared the modality of a Nuclear Plant Authority, she
said.
Besides, Hasina said, the Request for Proposal (RFP) document was also
prepared for possible investors. (The Independent)
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#2.

15 mass organizations working in the fields of public health, peasant
questions, art and culture, women's issues,convened a meeting on June 12,
2000 to protest against the proposed Nuclear Power Plant in West Bengal.

The meeting took place at The Students' Hall, College Square, Calcutta on Ju=
ne
12, 2000. The meeting was attended by about 250 participants representing 7=
0
odd peoples' organizations. The Citizens' Convention adopted the following
resolutions unanimously.

Resolution adopted at the Students' Hall, June 12, 2000, Calcutta.

This Citizens' Convention, held in Calcutta ( At The Students' Hall) on
June 12, 2000 notes with great concern that an official decision has been
taken to indstall a Nuclear Power Plant in West Bengal. The constant and
persistent campaign by official spokespersons and the leaders that Nuclear
power is indispensable to meet the growing demand of power is hardly a
credible proposition. The State Electricity Board of West Bengal sources say
that at present there is surplus in electricity generation in West Bengal,
but a huge amount of electricity is wasted due to inefficient power
distribution system and an insensitive and callous
administration adds to the woe of the people. We have enough coal to generat=
e
thermal power; but the planners do not take any measure to stop the burning
of coal in the underground mines in the vast areas of Bengal and Bihar; eve=
n
natural gas is allowed to burn in the wells in Tripura. The vast solar ener=
gy
potential that our country possesses, has never been tapped seriously; wind
energy potential has not been explored properly, yet even with this reduced
stress on wind power, it generates comparable electrical power with Nuclear
Power.

All these serious aspects have not been properly taken into account, insead
the hawkers of Nuclear Power advocate an 'alternative' to power as nuclear
power which has the highest production cost, least life span, is most
hazardous and there is no viable technological measures available in the
whole world to manage the radioactive wastes generated by a Nuclear Power
Plant. Not only throughout the globe, but even in countries like USA and
erstwhile USSR ( which are known to
possess 'latest' technologies), there are records of disastrous accidents in
Nuclear Power Plants and even these countries no longer designate Nuclear
Power Plnats as 'safe'. But with abysmal record of one major accident
per 60 hours in our Nuclear Power Plants, proponents of Nuclear power in ou=
r
country continue to call our Nuclear Power Plants as 'safe', A large
population of our country is already affected by the Nuclear radiation and
slowly approaching a sure and painful death, there is no cure available
for persons suffering from radiation ailments.

It is not very hard to imagine that those who have economic and political
interests in Nuclear Power Plant would promote this dangerous technology to
satisfy their narrow interests. It is also known that the bomb-grade fissile
materials ( i.e., plutonium) used in the test explosions performed by India
in three successive occasions came from the Nuclear Power Plants in operatio=
n.
Nuclear Power is as dangerous as the Nuclear bomb.

In this situation, this Citizens' Convention firmly declares Nuclear Power a=
s
unnecessary and unacceptable and appeals to all citizens of the state of
West Bengal to
protest against the stupid decision to install a Nuclear Power Plant in
West Bengal. This convention appeals to the West Bengal Government as well a=
s
to the Union Government to scrap the decision of installing a Nuclear
Power Plant in West Bengal. The Convention decided that these resolution be
circulated to organisre a coordinated protest throughout the state.

Saradindu Sekhar Ray,
Secretary, Drug Action Forum, West Bengal,
of behalf of the convenning organizations

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#3.

Outlook (New Delhi)
June 2000

An important article on the revised set up in India for overseeing
the safety of military nuclear installations. You may access this
item through the following URL:
http://www.outlookindia.com/20000619/affairs5.htm

_______

#4.

10 Jun 2000

Sino-Pak Nuclear Co-operation

South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG), New Delhi, India

Supplied note: "The latest paper of the Institute For Topical Studies,A-2/3,
Bharathi Dasan Colony, K.K.Nagar, Chennai--600078, India,
(Tele.Fax.No.44-4895235) on the above subject is now available at the Web
site [at the URL below]"

[The author of the analysis, B. Raman, is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabin=
et
Secretariat, Govt. of India, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical
Studies - ed.]

URL http://www.saag.org/notes2/note101.html

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#4.

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#5.

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