Chennai, Sep 22 (IANS) Tamil Nadu government Thursday formally asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the central government to halt work at the upcoming Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) till the local fears over the reactor’s safety were allayed.


The state cabinet passed a resolution to the effect Thursday.

More than 100 protestors were on fast at Idinthakari village near Kudankulam in Tirunelvelli district, around 650 km from here, for 11 days.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is building two 1,000 MW reactors with Russian technology and equipment. The construction has been going for the past ten years and one of the units is slated to go on stream this year.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa initially felt the safety features, as explained to her by NPCIL officials, were adequate and had requested the protestors to call off their fast.

However, as the people were staunchly opposed to the project, she wrote to the prime minister urging him to stop construction work till the people’s fears over the project were cleared.

Jayalalithaa met union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy to discuss the issue Wednesday.

Narayanasamy was deputed by Singh to meet the protestors within hours of Jayalalithaa writing to him.

Speaking to reporters later, Narayanasamy said: "The chief minister has conveyed a message to the prime minister. I will convey it to him."