Chennai,  AIADMK leader O. Pannerselvam (OPS) on Wednesday urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to oppose the 'Away from Reactor' (AFR) project coming up at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tirunelveli district of the state. In a statement, the former Chief Minister asked Stalin to take immediate steps to stop the project.

OPS said: "If this facility is set up, nuclear waste from other states might be stored here at Kudankulam and this is quite dangerous. The Tamil Nadu government has the duty and responsibility to oppose the project at its initial stages."

He said that while the nuclear power plant is located in Tamil Nadu, other states like Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry are benefited from the power and it would be appropriate to set up the AFR outside Tamil Nadu.

He said that other than these South Indian states, 15 per cent of the 2000 MWe generated from the nuclear power plant at Kudankulam was being shared in the Central Grid.

The AIADMK leader said: "Environmentalists contend that the safety in AFR would not be like the safety when spent fuel is stored below the plants. They have contended that the radiation may be reflected in air and water and that it is dangerous."

Panneerselvam said that floating of tenders for the AFR at the third and fourth units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited was an act that would severely affect the local people of Tamil Nadu and that the Chief Minister must open up on this.

He added that the statement of Union Minister Jitendra Singh in Parliament that there was no need for a deep geological disposal facility in the near future only strengthened the chances of setting up the AFR in Tamil Nadu.

He pointed out that the entire region of South Tamil Nadu will be affected and called upon Stalin to immediately take steps to stop the implementation of the AFR facility in the state.