Fishermen lay siege to housing colony of KNPP employees

Tirunelveli: Ahead of the proposed commissioning of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, around 2,000 fishermen onboard 200 boats on Wednesday laid siege to a housing colony of KNPP employees at Chettikulam as part of the ongoing protest.The fishermen dropped their plans to block roads following imposition of prohibitory orders and tight security in and around the plant's vicinity.[caption id="attachment_684374" align="alignleft" width="380"] Police lathicharge protesters in Tamil Nadu. PTI[/caption]SP Udayakumar, convenor of People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, spearheading the stir against the plant, said the agitation was not meant to divert the attention of the people, but only for their welfare.The district administration had imposed regulatory order under CrPC 144 within a seven-km radius of the plant for a 30-day period starting in March. It had deployed police in the region to maintain law and order.The project, which is expected to be commissioned by this month-end, has missed several deadlines since December last year following protests by locals over safety concerns.The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) had given clearance for the second heat up and full system tests of the unit-1 on 24 January.PTI