New Delhi: As Trinamool Congress opposed the
setting up of a nuclear reactor in Haripur in West Bengal, the
CPI(M) on Thursday said the state government has nothing to do as it
was the Centre which took decisions on such matters.
"It is not a decision of the West Bengal government. All
such decisions (on setting up of nuclear plants) are taken
only by the Centre," party leader Sitaram Yechury said.
He was replying to questions on a member of TC, a partner
in the UPA government, opposing the nuclear plant at Haripur
and asking the Centre to reconsider its decision.
During his visit to Moscow last week, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh had signed a joint declaration with Russia on a
variety of issues including nuclear cooperation. Haripur was
identified as one of the sites to put up four reactors as part
of a chain of nuclear parks in the country.
Yechury's colleague, Basudeb Acharia, said the earlier
policy of the Centre was that no nuclear plant could be set up
within a 500 km radius of coal belt. But later due to demands
for nuclear power plants in the eastern region, the Centre
changed its policy.
A site selection committee, formed to identify sites in
Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal, zeroed in on Haripur, Acharia
said, adding that the Nuclear Power Corporation was also
involved in the process.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009, 19:35