The film "3 miles to Gorakhpur" is about an anti nuclear protest in Haryana, India

The Hindu   NEW DELHI, October 21, 2011

Gorakhpur Village's protest against nuclear power plant 3 Mile away
Staff Reporter

Protesting against the proposed nuclear power plant at Gorakhpur village in Haryana, a group people associated with the struggle on Thursday gathered at the Indian Social Institute in Lodhi Road for the screening of a film 3 Mile to Gorakhpur and a discussion on the issue.

“A majority of villagers of Gorakhpur are opposed to the proposed nuclear power plant because it will come up in a densely populated area with over 20,000 people. The Government is planning to acquire 1,305 acres here and about 185 acres in the adjoining Badopala village. People in these villages and nearby areas are afraid of any possible nuclear radiation or related accidents,” said Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha national convenor Soumya Dutta who has been associated with the protest.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, which had proposed the building of the plant, had sent notices to the villagers last year informing them about land acquisition. Opposing this move, lead by Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, farmers from the villages of Gorakhpur, Badopala and nearby villages are participating in a sit-in dharna which started on August 17 last year shortly after the land acquisition notices were sent.

Highlighting the issue

“While the villagers are not ready to give in, the Government too has to understand that this is a very fertile land that they are planning to take over. They will also be using the only water source for the plant that will eat into the villagers' water source which is used for drinking and irrigation,” added Mr. Dutta.

“The villagers have been protesting against the plant for the past fifteen months. Most women here are very attached to their land. Most of them say that the money the men will get will be spent and the families will suffer. Most say that they will not sell their land. The idea of bringing the film and discussion to Delhi is to highlight the issue and generate more public discussion,” said Mr. Dutta.
SOUTH ASIANS AGAINST NUKES (SAAN):

An informal information platform for activists and scholars concerned about the dangers of Nuclearisation in South Asia

http://s-asians-against-nukes.org/

Radiation leak from Pakistani nuclear power plant

Pakistan Peace Coalition expresses concern over leakage incident at KANUPP; demands shutting down of nuclear power plants in Pakistan

KARACHI, Oct. 20 [2011]: Pakistan Peace Coalition (PPC) has expressed serious concern over the leakage of heavy water from a feeder pipe of the reactor at Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) and asked the government to get rid of this nuclear power plant, which is actually non productive, but posing great threat to human lives and also to the coastal environment of Karachi.

In a statement issued here Thursday, PPC General Secretary B. M. Kutty said the government has not provided any details for the release of radiation as a result of this accident. As reported in the newspapers, the Director General KANUPP Javed Iqbal declined to give any details when contacted, saying the situation was reported to the head office in Islamabad and they could not comment on it.

The safety of the current nuclear installations remain a serious concern because there is very little information on security measures adopted to protect the population from any potential risk in case of mishap at any of the country's nuclear plants. Nuclear facilities in Pakistan are precariously located, particularly the KANUPP that is stationed alongside the coast. An earlier letter written by civil society organisations to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission to demand a copy of the Karachi Emergency Relief Plan, in case of a nuclear disaster, met with no response. Concerns have also been raised against the authorities, practice of dumping uranium waste near the mines in Dera Ghazi Khan. According to reports the incidence of leukemia is higher in the region. Kutty pointed out that a similar incident of the leakage of heavy water had also taken place some 20 years ago at KANUPP, but the government did not provide any details at that time. It is the right of public to know the factual position of release of radiation and extent of the threat to human health.

The recent incident at the KANUPP is a cause of grave concern as PPC had already feared the happening of such incidents at the nuclear plant. The radiation leaks at the two nuclear power stations, Fukushima-Daiichi and Fukushima-Daini in Japan following a powerful 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast in last March had put the population of Japan at great risk, and should have proved to be an eye-opener to our authorities. The PCC demanded the government to put a stop to the ongoing nuclear programmes, while any plans of expanding the countryâ?Ts current nuclear power generation capacity must be immediately called off. The nuclear contribution to the current Pakistani total electricity supply is very limited, while the hazards it poses far outweigh its utility. According to the recent estimates, nuclear capacity represents merely 2.4 percent of the total installed capacity of 19,252 MWe in Pakistan, but the cost to the people and the country in the return would be quite high. Kutty demanded the government to provide exact information of the radiation release to the public and no further work be allowed on this age-old, almost obsolete, plant.

Anti nuclear protest in France

1000s urge end to nuclear activities in France


Sun Oct 16, 2011 8:52AM GMT -http://presstv.com/detail/204854.html

Thousands of activists have staged demonstrations in seven cities across France, calling for an end to all forms of nuclear activity in the country.

Some 25,000 activists from 900 French anti-nuclear groups took part in the Saturday rallies, which were organized by Sortir du nucléaire (Nuclear phase-out) federation.

The demonstrators called on the government to halt all its military and civilian nuclear activities, and criticized Paris for continuing its nuclear policy while France's neighboring countries have already announced plans to scrap their nuclear facilities, AFP reported.

The protesters particularly called for the closure of Bugey nuclear plant in eastern France, which they say is susceptible to high risks of earthquake and flood.

They also held a minute of silence in honor of the victims of Fukushima nuclear disaster in eastern Japan, and urged the French government to take lessons from Japan's tragedy and turn to renewable energies.

Since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a devastating tsunami on March 11, the Daiichi Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan has been leaking radiation into the air, soil.

The quake triggered a nuclear crisis by knocking out power to cooling systems at the nuclear power plant on Japan's northeast coast.
(Le Monde - 15 octobre 2011)

Plusieurs milliers de manifestants ont défilé contre le nucléaire en France‎

http://tinyurl.com/685jgyx

Anti nuclear blockade in Tamil Nadu, India

10,000 protesters lay siege to Tamil Nadu nuclear plant site
By Kumar Chellappan  Place: Chennai   Agency: DNA


The agitation against Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant near Tirunelveli reached a feverish pitch on Thursday with more than 10,000 activists laying siege to all the entry points to the project site.

More than 700 scientists and technicians who reached the KNPP for their morning shift could not enter the reactor premises which broughtroutine works to a grinding halt.

“The maintenance works were carried out by the staff on overnight duty who could not come out of the plant because of the road block,” a senior executive of the KNPP told DNA.

This is the first time in the history of the country that the works in a nuclear reactor were affectedfollowing agitation by the local residents.

The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy intensified their agitation within 12 hours of the Prime Minister’s letter to chief minister Jayalalithaa reached the Fort Saint George.

In his letter Manmohan Singh asked Jayalalithaa to help the union government to implement the project as scheduled. He also offered to depute a group of experts to address the legitimate concerns of the people in Kudankulam.

But Pushparayan, the second-in-command to Udaya Kumar , who heads the PMANE, declared that the agitation would continue in a peaceful manner till the reactor was shut down.

“Today morning’s road block is an indication that our agitation has entered into a critical phase. We will not allow anyone to enter the KNPP premises. Today’s blockade has instilled a moral fear in the minds of the KNPP staff,” said Pushparayan.

The road block which began at 8 am in the East Coast Road was shifted to vantage points near the KNPP. “Ours is a Gandhian style agitation and we do not want to create any inconvenience to the people. But this agitation will continue till the government orders the closure of the plant. We do not want the nuclear reactors,” he said.

Even N K Balaji, project director, KNPP could not go inside the plant. “I was asked by the district administration to stay put in my house since the roads have been blocked by the agitators,” he said. Both the Tirunelveli collector and superintendent of police wereunavailable. “Both of them are busy with election duties and conferences ,” said thepersonal assistant to the collector.

Balaji feigned ignorance when asked whether the unit 1 of 1000 MW of the KNPP could be commissionedin October as scheduled. The Prime Minister in his letter had told Jayalalithaa that Tamil Nadu is entitled for 925 MW power once both the units are commissioned.

Intelligence officials said that the agitators resorted to road block because Jayalalithaa was campaigning in the district in connection with the election to the local bodies. “Though she has declared that her support was with the agitators, we are not giving any significance to it. Let her walk the talk for us to believe her assurances,” said Pushparayan.

Meanwhile, a former top intelligence bureau official expressed apprehensions over the agencies behind the agitation. “The possibility of some invisible forces working in a systematic manner to undermine national interests is quite likely. It will, however, require an intensive probe, for which one only wonders how much the present government has the capacity, time and commitment,” he told

Source: Daily News and Analysis, Oct 13, 2011, 18:00 IST

SOUTH ASIANS AGAINST NUKES (SAAN):

An informal information platform for activists and scholars concerned about the dangers of Nuclearisation in South Asia

http://s-asians-against-nukes.org/

Blockade of nuclear power station at Grohnde in Germany

antinuclear protestors block traffic

anti nuclear protestors abseil from nearby bridge to nuclear power station with banner

Several hundreds of people protested today, Sunday October 2, 2011 in Grohnde (Lower Saxony). After a demonstration the access roads to the NPP are blockaded by climbing activists who abseiled from a highway

bridge. They are supported by some 50 activists blockading the road and an operating track with a sit-in. A second access road is blocked by an announced and permitted anti-nuclear concert in front of the atomic power station. Though police new about the action day, they could not prevent the blockades.

With speeches at the railway station a few kilometers from the Grohnde atomic power station the rally started with several hundreds of people. Many tractors and other vehicles accompanied the demonstration showing the farmers protest against the dangerous facility. Arrived at the NPP speakers with several NGOs, activists and foreign anti-nuclear campaigners informed about the threats connected to the Grohnde NPP and other atomic power in general and demanded the immediate phase-out of all nuclear facilities worldwide.

Afterwards an anti-nuclear concert was started on a stage in front of the NPP's cooling towers to be continued the whole night.

Several anti-nuclear organizations had provided information stalls besides the main access road to the nuclear power plant, coffee and other drinks were provided as well as vegan food for the protesters that are supposed to stay at the NPP site for 24 hours. A big meadow was provided for individual tents as well as a big circus tent has been set up for the activists. The anti-nuclear concert next to the main access road blocks this street to the NPP as there are so many people to join the music.

Police still behaves calm and didn't intervene much when the access roads to the Grohnde NPP were set up. Around 5 PM CET the first blockade was set up at a highway bridge crossing another access road to the nuclear site. They abseiled with banners demanding the total nuclear phase-out and an end of the uranium industry that provides the nuclear power stations with fuel. One hour later a smaller blockade of a couple of people was set up with a chair and a sign saying "sit out Grohnde" ("Grohnde AUSsitzen") on the road stopping police cars being supposed to support the police forces dealing with the abseiling action. A sit-in blockade on an industrial track and on the road beneath the bridge supported the climbing action with up to
50 people on the ground.

Four hours after the abseiling blockade action started the access road is still blockaded.

Around 9.40 PM CET a message was send from the stage to the audience and police objecting to their order to open the main access road for the NPP workers' verhicles. They read out the official demonstration
orders made by the police beforehand only forcing the street to be opened for emergency vehicles on short notice if necessary. Thus, the anti-nuclear protesters argue, they don't have to clear the road just for the workers, and they won't do so. After a couple of minutes the police unit that had tried to force to open the road went off.

A couple of minutes later police rudely pushed blockaders from the road next to the blockaded bridge to send a couple of workers' cars to the nuclear power plant for the shift change. No one has been hurt yet, although police treated them with rude force. Currently, police is endagering one of the climbing activists by trying to remove their securing ropes.

Around 10 PM CET police ordered the announcer of the demonstration to reduce the demonstration to make it possible for the workers to reach the NPP. Protesters are refusing to follow that order as they believe police has no legal right to change the orders for the demonstration afterwards just to let the workers enter the NPP.



updates and photos:

http://www.greenkids.de/europas-atomerbe/index.php/Blockade_of_the_Grohnde_NPP







Anti nuclear blockade at Hinkley Point

Stop New Nuclear

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