In Tamil Nadu, protesters resorted to sea-siege of Koodankulan nuclear power plant today. Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police Vijayendra Bidari told AIR that there was no untoward incident and the protest passed off peacefully.

Thousands of fishermen from Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts came in hundreds of fibre and country boats and stood in the sea about 500 metres away from the nuclear plant. The protesters demanded immediate withdrawal of police from the local villages and closure of the nuclear power plant. Police had sealed off the entire nuclear power plant area and coast guard ships patrolled the seas. With the loading of enriched uranium finished, the power generation from Koodankulam nuclear plant is expected to start soon subject to Supreme Court’s directives on litigations regarding safety of the nuclear plant.