Shiv Sena’s memorandum on the Jaitapur nuclear project submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not received any response from the PMO for over a month since it was sent.
Shiv Sena’s memorandum on the Jaitapur nuclear project submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not received any response from the PMO for over a month since it was sent.
Senior Sena leader and environment minister Ramdas Kadam had sent the report on “adverse impact” of the Jaitapur nuclear power plant on green belt in the Konkan region of the state. “We have not received any response from the PMO on our report which presented facts on why the Jaitapur nuclear power project should be scrapped,” said Mr Kadam.
Asked if his party is expecting a reply anytime soon, Mr Kadam said, “We will hopefully get a response soon. But, it is the prerogative of the PM to respond at a time he feels appropriate.”
Latching on to the opportunity to take a dig at the Sena, Congress spokesperson Al-Nasser Zakaria said it is high time the Sena understands it is no longer trusted by the BJP. “Silence from the PMO for over a month only indicates that the Sena’s reputation is diminishing by the day in front of the BJP. Though they are the oldest allies, the Sena is no more a trusted ally of the BJP,” he said.
Meanwhile, NCP Mumbai President Sachin Ahir said that the Sena should not forget the party’s primary agenda of safeguarding Marathi pride. “It is high time that the Sena quits the alliance as it seems that they are no longer wanted by the BJP. If they remember that their primary agenda is to safeguard Marathi pride, they will withdraw support at the Centre and in Maharashtra,” he said.
The Sena, in December, had sent a detailed 418-page report to the PM which included objections of the Konkan Bachao Samiti, report of the Madhavrao Gadgil committee, report of public hearing by Dr B.J. Waghmare Janhit Samiti, and report of public hearing of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
The Jaitapur project is to come up in Ratnagiri district, where French company Areva will set up six nuclear reactors with a total power generation capacity of about 10,000 MW.
