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Tamil Nadu nuclear plant: India says will help Lanka in case of disaster
India has offered Sri Lanka an early warning system as part of safety measures in the event of a leak at the Kudankulam nuclear plant in that country’s south, Power and Energy Ministry Secretary M. M.C. Ferdinando said yesterday.
He told the Sunday Times the offer came during consultations between the two countries on Thursday and Friday in New Delhi. The talks centred on the possible fallout and safety assurance for Sri Lanka, he added.
Mr. Ferdinando said a two-day meeting was not adequate to discuss all matters regarding Sri Lanka’s concerns over the nuclear plant and therefore further talks would be held early next year in Colombo.
A joint statement by the two countries stressed that New Delhi had tried to address Sri Lanka’s concerns on the safety measures instituted at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.
It said both sides exchanged views on all aspects of civil nuclear cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the uses of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes to the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries.
The joint statement added: “It was agreed that the two sides would work towards a comprehensive agreement on bilateral civil nuclear cooperation, inter alia, training of officials, nuclear safety and response to nuclear accidents.”
India has stated the Kudankulam plant was a state-of-the-art complex that was compliant with the highest safety standards available in the nuclear industry and the safety measures instituted at the plant are of the highest order.
The Indian delegation led by Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), included representatives from the Department of Atomic Energy while the Sri Lankan delegation was led by I. Ansar, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and had representatives from the Atomic Energy Authority and the Ministry of Power and Energy of Sri Lanka.
The safety and other issues surrounding the Kudankulam plant was first raised by Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka who called on the Government to take up the matter with India.
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