Next round of talks soon

TIRUNELVELI: The members of the national committee of experts, who held talks with the State panel on Tuesday, said that they would go in for the next round of talks on Koodankulam nuclear plant as soon as possible.Speaking after the talks, panel member A E Muthunayagam said that the issue will be approached considering two factors — people’s welfare and nation’s development. “People’s welfare will not be sacrificed for the national development and we will get back to the next level of talks as soon as we get the answers for the questions posed by the protesting groups,” Muthunayagam said. He said the panel, for last two weeks, has been studying the background of the nuclear power project and the scope, status and other factors. It was a positive sign that both the groups agreed upon national development and people’s welfare. The talks proceeded smoothly and the State panel was cooperative, he added.The concerns and the fear of people will be addressed properly and it was the mandate of the committee. “We have nothing to do with the ongoing protest and we will concentrate on allaying the fears of the public about the project,” he said.No definite timeline has been fixed for the next round of talks but the panel will ensure that they will get back as soon as possible, Muthunayagam added.The committee was ready to talk with any team or forum but it should be meaningful since the matter is very technical. Commenting on the effect on fish breeding due to the plant, Muthunayagam said that it should be studied and the facts should be appropriately presented by the opposite group to prove the impact.