The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has debunked the findings of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Tiss) on the Jaitapur nuclear power project (JNPP).

The social impact assessment review conducted by Jamshetji Tata centre for disaster management of Tiss had pointed out several lapses. It had indicated that the project, which requires about 968 hectares of land across five villages, will have a negative impact on the social and environmental development of not only these villages and the surrounding areas but also of the Konkan region in general. DNA was the first paper to report the Tiss findings.

The NPCIL, in a letter to RK Krishnakumar, chairman, board of governance, Tiss, and Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, says the report had drawn ‘erroneous’ conclusions.

A copy of the letter is with DNA. SK Jain, CMD, NPCIL, has countered some important allegations in the Tiss report.

The letter says the NPCIL has taken villagers into confidence before going ahead with the project. “From 2005, NPCIL has been organising several exhibitions, structured public awareness campaigns, debates and discussions on nuclear power and Jaitapur plant…This is in addition to several meetings on outstanding issues between the NPCIL and other stake holders, including the project-affected people,” says the letter.

The NPCIL has also rubbished the claim that the nuclear project is in an earthquake zone and hence unsafe. “Seismicity is one of the key criteria in site selection (siting) for nuclear power plants and the Jaitapur site meets the requirements for siting as stipulated in the atomic energy regulatory board’s code on safety,” said the letter.

Replying to another major objection on the reprocessing plant not being considered in the environment impact assessment (EIA) report, the NPCIL has argued that, “as of now there is no proposal to set up a reprocessing plant at Jaitapur and thus the same has not been considered in the EIA study”.

The NPCIL has asked Krishnakumar to take a serious note of these objections on the Tiss findings, so that the report shows both sides of the story.