The Centre on Thursday announced setting up of a 15-member group of experts over the Kudankulam nuclear plant project to allay the fears of the locals and the Tamil Nadu government.

The group comprises specialists in various areas including environmental science, radiation safety, reactor design and safety, regulatory aspects, waste management, oncology, oceanography, fisheries, thermal ecology, seismology. An announcement to this effect was made by the minister of state in the Prime minister's office V Narayansamy in New Delhi.

AIR correspondent reports, this Expert Group will explain the factual position on various aspects of the project and will also dispel apprehensions of some sections of the local people. A Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) statement says the panel includes A E Muthunayagam, Vice Chancellor, Nurul Islam University; V Shantha, noted oncologist and Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute; M R Iyer, former Director of Division of Radiation Safety at International Atomic Energy Agency and C S Ramesh, Associate Professor and Surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had last night on his way back from Pretoria, said that the committee promised by him to convince stakeholders in the Kudankulam nuclear power project would be set up on Thursday.

The Kudankulam project, where two 1000 Mega Watt nuclear plants built with Russian collaboration are in advanced stages of completion, ran into a rash of protests as it approached final stages of commissioning.

A section of the locals had expressed concern over the environmental and safety aspects of the projects leading to protests.