KGF to shutdown today over spent nuke fuel dumping proposal

Seething in anger over the proposed plan to dump spent fuel from the Kudankulam nuclear power plant at the abandoned gold mine pits of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), different organisations have given a call for KGF bandh on Friday.

Residents of KGF and elected representatives from the region have expressed concern, saying that the proposed move would pose a serious health hazard to the local populace. People of KGF have demanded the Union government to shelve the proposal.

Speaking to DNA, KGF MLA Y Sampangi, said the Centre had submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court — stating that waste from nuclear plant at Kudankulam would be dumped in closed mine pits of KGF —without obtaining the consent of the state government or people of the area. "Dumping nuclear waste will definitely pose a serious threat to the lives of people here. We are not going to allow gold mine pits to be turned into a nuclear dumping yard. We have brought the issue to the notice of chief minister."

Sampangi said people of the area were in dire straits after Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML) stopped functioning. A PIL has been filed before the Supreme Court pleading for the revival of BGML. "Many companies have said that gold can be extracted from the pits. The matter is before the court. Despite knowing legal status the central government has proposed to dump nuclear waste."

Targeting Union minister of state for railways, KH Muniyappa, who represents the region in Lok Sabha, for not opposing the move, the MLA said, "Muniyappa has been elected from Kolar several times as MP and he became minister in the cabinet. He is not opposing the move in order to retain his post in the cabinet."

Coordinator of BGML Employees and Officers United Forum, G Jayakumar warned against the move by saying that the government was making a grave mistake. "During the functioning of BGML a lot of chemicals were used for mining as well as to extract gold. Now mining residual waste looks like a mountain. Thousands of people are already facing its ill-effects. The new proposal made by the Centre is unscientific, as pits which even measure over 1400 feet in depth are not suitable to dump the nuclear waste. We feel central government is taking disastrous step and playing with peoples' lives."