Huge Jaitapur nuclear plant given hasty green light

Activists and residents in Jaitapur are up in arms after Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh gave the environmental clearance to the proposed 9,900 MW nuclear power plant in the port town located in Maharashtra. The general consensus on the ground is that the project has been cleared in haste without analysing the environmental fallout, according to an article on Tehelka.com. The reactors will be supplied by the French giant, Areva, whose poor environmental track record was dismissed by Indian nuclear authorities who claimed to be unaware of contamination caused by Areva around the world and in France. A day-long protest against the decision is planned for December 2. An earlier protest by villagers on October 29 (pictured) resulted in 1,000 arrests.