Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP).

The over-a-year long protest against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) at Idinthakarai village in Tirunelveli district turned violent on Monday with the police using teargas shells and making a lathicharge on the protestors as they inched towards the nuclear plant along the coast. As news of the police action spread, violence broke out in various places in Koodankulam and in the neighbouring Thoothukudi district, leaving the entire coastal region tense. In Manapadu village of Thoothukudi district, Antony John (48) was killed when police opened fire at a crowd that charged towards a police station after setting ablaze a checkpost. Koodankulam saw a village office going up in flames. The agitation spread to near by districts too. In neighbouring Tuticorin district, one person was reportedly killed in Thoothukudy, when police fired into a crowd of fishermen who were protesting against the nuclear plant. The deceased is identified as Antony Samy (40) About 30, 000 people are camping outside Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant since yesterday morning. Although yesterday's protest went peaceful, today, police were determined to break the siege of the nuclear plant and resorted to violence against peaceful protesters. Here are the day's events as it happened: 09.09.2012 9:00 am.

Spoke to S P Udayakumar, the humble and inspiring teacher who has been leading consistently non-violent protests in Koodankulam. Thousands of people spent whole night yesterday under open sky near the sea, refusing to go home. The weather was cold and rough. The people have laid siege 500 metres from the reactor compound, braving the armed police. There was some commotion mid-night amid rumors that the police is arresting the leaders. People are protecting the leading activists, against whom the govt has slapped fictitious criminal charges including sedition, by forming layers of human-shield around them. People have demanded that the planned fuel loading in the reactor must be immediately stopped. They have also demanded prohibitory orders imposed in the entire area for last several months must be revoked, so that people from neighbouring villages could visit them without fear and bring food and water. 09.09.2012 10.30 am

Police forces moved inside the siege area and also resorted to baton charge, which was resisted by people. The people refused to yield, and the forces withdrew. “The situation is back to normal,” according to my informant, if what prevailed before the lathi charge could be considered normal. There is a larger congregation of forces, mostly wielding batons. A large riot-gear bedecked police force is in the frontline facing the people, and tear gas lobbers are apparently on stand-by. In Chennai, a mass RTI campaign invoking the Life and Liberty clause is being planned at the NPCIL office at No. 51 Montieth Road, Egmore, Chennai 8, at 3 p.m. (via Nityanand Jayaraman) 11.30 am SMS from Dr. S P Udayakumar: Police are intimidating people by moving closer, swaying batons. Thousands of women and children are here. Officials threatened with naval intervention. Situation is very tense and dangerous. We need your appeals to the governments. 12.00 PM

Baton wielding police attack protesters and beat them up and tear gas shells being lobbed. People running towards sea. Hemmed in between armed police and the sea some jump into the sea Sahaya Initha, councilor got severely injured. Shelson was injured in the throat and got admitted along with Antony in the Idinthakarai hospital. Kennedy had his hand broken. Several children got fainted due to the tear gas used by the police. Children who took shelter in the school were surrounded by police. Police threw water cans near the church. 6.30 PM Police is on a rampage in Idinthakarai tsunami village. They are going house to house, breaking things.Tomorrow We Will Lock Our Houses And March: Koodankulam's Women We are women who live very close to the sea in the village of Idinthakarai in Thirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu. Never do we lock the doors and gate of our houses when we go out. We are so sure and confident about the safety and security of our houses.

Tomorrow after many years,we are going to lock and bolt all the doors and gate of ourhouse and get out. All the houses will be locked up tomorrow. The more than a century year old Church in our village that faces the Pillayar kovil will have its usual Sunday service after which we will move enmasse to the KKNPP.(Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant). We will carry our children including babies. Our pregnant daughters will walk in the hot sun with us. Because we have not been listened to. Our plea and demands have been sidelined. We do not feel safe to be in this comfortable village of ours anymore so close to the power plant. We understand that we, our bodies, the food we eat, our animals and plants, the water we drink will soon be contaminated. Can you say it will not be? We know enough to say that you do not need a radiation Chernobyl/ Fukushima style to carry radiation burdens. The yellow and red chimneys will soon start spewing the invisible radiation, the word for which in Tamil is Katirveezcha- that which falls as rays! Imagine the warm rays of the sun falling on us in surplus giving us such free and easy source of energy…yet we do not want it. Now friends from the Tsunami colony, the closest to the Power plant called. They say there are police all over. This morning about 400 fully armed police conducted a drill running and marching through the peaceful lanes of the colony. They said that children and all others are petrified. We heard that 14 companies of police and 4 companies of Rapid Action Force and one company of Special Task force ( 120 members) are around us. So it looks as if we will not be able to get out. Instead of being arrested and jailed in Thirunelveli or somewhere far away, our village itself has become an open jail. All roads to us are blocked with sand bags and assault rifles. Expecting us to get out and other villages to come in through the sea and reach the dyke, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has been deployed there.

We really do not understand what they are scared of. Are they more bothered about the safety of the plant? Do you think the “poor illiterate” ( as we are referred to ) people like us will harm the plant? If we were capable of this could we not have done it earlier.We have been raising questions, requesting to address issues, demanding to be reassured for 25 years. But to no avail. Please trace the history of the struggle and see if there has been even one instance of provocation from our side. Then why this much threats and display of force? Yes, we are scared but not of the police and the arrests. We are more scared of the consequences of the fuel loading and reaching of criticality of the Power Plant. We are scared more about the safety of our daily life. If all the police who are here today could enter our houses and talk to us and hear us, will we not serve them tea and make sure they are comfortable? We want our Chief Minister to visit us here and face our questions. We want her to allow us to march towards the source of the problem- the Nuclear Power Plant and place our demands. We want to meet our friends and supporters from all villages which fall within the Risk zone of the KKNPP. Is that something to be scared of? We are not scared – our vow to raise questions and slogans against this wrong and unclean source of energy that has jeopardized our lives will continue till the last breath of our lives. Perhaps we may not have to bolt and lock the doors of our homes. But we might be bolted up for ever inside the invisible cloud of the lethal Kathirveezhchai. Please reach this message of peace and hope to the world. Prepared by Anitha.S after talking to women in Idinthakarai on 8th September 2012, Here Is A SOS from The Struggle Committee.. DEAR FRIENDS,

Just spoke to Udayakumar who says that the preparations underfoot in villages in and around Koodankulam are making it seem as if the State is waging war against the people. Idinthakarai is sealed off. People can neither get in or out of Idinthakarai. Villagers who were planning to congregate in Idinthakarai are now blocked off. This morning about 400 heavily armed police conducted a drill, including running and marching, near Tsunami Nagar. Media people are being used as friendly messengers to convey that the State will not hesitate to use force to quell any attempts by villagers to show resistance to the imminent fuel loading. Police are bunkered on all routes around the Idinthakarai village, with sand bags and assault rifles. This is in response to PMANE's decision to march towards the nuclear power plant tomorrow to pre-empt fuel loading. Please stay alert. Your assistance will definitely be required tomorrow. Here are the police officers' numbers; please ask them not to harass people, intimidate them; or incite violence against unarmed civilians and nonviolent fighters including thousands of children and women: One person was killed in police firing in Tuticorin as anti-nuclear protesters turned violent today after police foiled their repeated attempts to lay siege to the atomic power plant here against loading of uranium fuel. A 44-year old fisherman was killed when police opened fire at a group of people who clashed with them while blocking a road in Manapad coastal village as the protest spilled to neighbouring Tuticorin District, police said. At Kudankulam in Tirunelveli District, the main scene of protests for the last two days, police resorted to lathi-charge and burst teargas shells to disperse over 2,000 protesters who fought pitched battles throwing stones and logs. As the baton-wielding policemen chased away the protesters, many of them moved towards the sea to escape. Sporadic violence then followed as enraged groups of protesters set fire to a local Panchayat office, the Village Administrative Officer’s office and a state-run liquor retail shop in Kudankulam, in an ugly turn to the over year-long peaceful protest, police said.

The police action followed after authorities failed to persuade the protesters who, for the second day, defied prohibitory orders and stayed put at the seashore, about 500 metres away from the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. The villagers were in an emotionally charged state and visibly agitated over the police crackdown the previous day. As men and women started gathering at the huge pandal in front of the church at Idinthakarai, the youth were seen involved in heated arguments among themselves, as they prepared for another round of protest. Even as a group of about 50 villagers have begun a fast at Idinthakarai, fishermen have formed committees to ensure that their youth do not indulge in any violence. "We have decided to continue the protest without resorting to violence. We will stay put in Idinthakarai. We will not oppose or attack the police personnel," said a youth. The village, about seven-km from the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), has been encircled by the police, blocking all entry routes. The protesters on their part have blocked the access routes by putting boulders to prevent police from entering the village. A makeshift common kitchen has been built in Idinthakarai and porridge is being served to the villagers assembled there. The villagers have decided to keep elders, women and children inside the church, while men will remain in the protest pandal.

The coordinator of People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, S P Udhayakumar, who is spearheading the protest, arrived in Idinthakarai on Tuesday morning. As the villagers cheered, he addressed them stating his intention to court arrest. But the villagers turned emotional and urged him not to surrender. As some of the women started crying, Udhayakumar also broke down, but insisted that he was surrendering to prevent alleged police action on the villagers. "Police will unleash violence on the pretext of arresting me. That is why I will court arrest. But I will return to Idinthakarai once I'm let off," he told the villagers evoking continued opposition against his decision to surrender. All the shops in Kudankulam and adjoining villagers remained closed and bus services were suspended to the coastal village in the region. There was a semblance of normalcy in Valliyur, the biggest town close to Kudankulam, but there was sense of uneasiness among the public. The police have so far arrested eight persons from Idinthakarai, besides 56 others from Kudankulam and other villages. "There is no disturbance to peace and harmony. Everything is normal," said Tirunelveli SP Vijayendra Bidari. South Zone IG Rajesh Das said that they have no idea about Udayakumar's surrender plan, but are continuing the search for him. Fishermen from coastal villages in adjoining Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts also stayed off sea in protest against the police firing on a fisherman. There were sporadic slogan shouting protests in various places in the three districts. Bus services to coastal villages in Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts were also suspended and educational institutions remained closed. Police officials led by Rajesh Das are holding meetings on the next course of action. About 7,000 police personnel have been deployed in the three districts. Marine police and coast guard have also intensified patrolling to prevent sea side intrusion by the protesters. C Sylendra Babu, ADGP, coastal security has also visited Kudankulam.

 IN WAKE OF FUKUSHIMA DISASTER , JAPPAN TO END NUCLEAR POWERE BY 2030

The Japanese government announced a dramatic turn in its energy policy Friday, vowing to make the densely populated island nation nuclear-free by the 2030s. Last year's tsunami-triggered disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power complex forced evacuation of more than 160,000 and contaminated huge swaths of territory north of Tokyo. Prior to the accident, nuclear plants provided nearly a third of Japan's power generation, and the government had planned to increase that proportion to more than half. In unveiling the new policy, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda acknowledged that the vast majority of Japanese support the zero option on nuclear power. The new blueprint calls for investing almost $500 billion over the next two decades to expand renewable sources like wind and solar power, the NHK broadcast network reported. The energy plan sets forward a three-pronged approach to phasing out nuclear power generation after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that inundated the Fukushima plant and set off the worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986 in Ukraine.

A 40-year limit has been set on operation of existing plants, construction of new nuclear-generation facilities is prohibited and any further restarts of Japan's 48 idled nuclear plants will be contingent on their meeting strengthened safety standards to be adopted by a newly created independent regulatory agency. Japan's anti-nuclear movement swelled after the Fukushima disaster. Opposition to nuclear power became more vocal this summer when the government authorized the restart of two plants in Ohi, serving the populous areas around Kyoto and Osaka. A nationwide shutdown after the Fukushima accident put all 50 remaining nuclear plants offline pending safety improvements and inspections. Public opinion polls have indicated that more than 70% of Japanese support ending nuclear energy production in Japan, and public hearings in recent months were dominated by voices against resuming nuclear production. Large crowds of anti-nuclear demonstrators have also appeared outside the prime minister's home and offices on a weekly basis. Business leaders opposed a change in policy. The Federation of Electric Power Companies deemed the phase-out decision "very regrettable," warning that it will raise energy prices for business and consumers and, at least in the near future, increase greenhouse gas emissions as the country relies more on fossil fuels until renewables can be expanded. Greenpeace Japan urged the government to give the new energy policy the force of law, to avoid it becoming mere "lip service" to appease the public ahead of elections expected later this year. Japan is already the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas and is expected to increase reliance on that source as it phases out nuclear energy.

Germany abandons nuclear power programme in wake of Fukushima disaster

Germany's coalition government agreed early on Monday to shut down all the country's nuclear power plants by 2022, the environment minister said, making it the first major industrialised nation in the last quarter century to announce plans to go nuclear-free. The country's seven oldest reactors already taken off the grid pending safety inspections following the catastrophe at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant in March will remain offline permanently, Norbert Roettgen added. The country has 17 reactors in total. Roettgen praised the coalition agreement after negotiations through the night between the governing parties. "This is coherent. It is clear," he told reporters in Berlin. "That's why it is a good result." Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed through measures in 2010 to extend the lifespan of the country's 17 reactors, with the last one scheduled to go offline in 2036, but she reversed her policy in the wake of the Japanese disaster. "We want the electricity of the future to be safe, reliable and economically viable," Merkel told reporters on Monday. Germany's energy supply chain "needs a new architecture," necessitating huge efforts in boosting renewable energies, efficiency gains and overhauling the electricity grid, she added. "We have to follow a new path," Merkel said. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, stands alone among the world's major industrialised nations still using nuclear power in its determination to gradually replace it with renewable energy sources. Italy decided to stop producing nuclear power after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Through March - before the seven reactors were taken offline - just under a quarter of Germany's electricity was produced by nuclear power, about the same share as in the US. Energy from wind, solar and hydroelectric power currently produces about 17 per cent of the country's electricity, but the government aims to boost its share to around 50 per cent in the coming decades. Many Germans have been vehemently opposed to nuclear power since Chernobyl sent radioactive fallout over the country. Tens of thousands repeatedly took to the streets in the wake of Fukushima to urge the government to shut all reactors. A center-left government a decade ago first penned a plan to abandon the technology for good because of its inherent risks by 2021. But Merkel's government last year amended it to extend the plants' lifetime by an average of 12 years. But the conservative chancellor reversed her pro-nuclear stance after the earthquake and tsunami that crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant on March 11, triggering nuclear meltdowns. Merkel's government ordered the country's seven oldest reactors, all built before 1980, shut down four days after the Fukushima incident. The plants accounted for about 40 per cent of the country's nuclear power capacity. Germany used to be a net energy exporter, and the agency overseeing its electricity grid said on Friday that the country remains self-sufficient even without the seven reactors and another plant that has already been offline for more than a year for maintenance work. The coalition government's decision broadly follows the conclusions of a government-mandated commission on the ethics of nuclear power, which delivered its recommendation to abolish the technology by 2022 on Saturday. Details of the final report are to be presented later on Monday. Shutting down even more reactors, however, will require billions of euros of investment in renewable energies, more natural gas power plants and an overhaul of the country's electricity grid. The government of neighboring Switzerland, where nuclear power produces 40 per cent of the country's electricity, also announced last week that it plans to shut down its reactors gradually once they reach their average lifespan of 50 years - which would mean taking the last plant off the grid in 2034. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP). The mess that Kudankulam now is entirely the creation of Government of India and Government of Tamil Nadu due to their arrogant, arbitrary and autocratic methods giving scant respect and regard to the voices if the very people who voted them to power. Instead of entering into dialogue with the protesting public to “ally their fears ” as promised, these governments sent ‘Sarkari Scientists’ who only printed reams of paper and gave it as expert opinion. When people asked for their voice to be heard it was responded with hundreds of criminal cases of sedition and ‘waging war against the state’. When people still persisted police brutality was let loose on women and children sitting on beach sands, peacefully protesting against ‘fuel loading’ in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP). Actually the three officers in charge of the situation – the DIG, the SP and the District Collector – showed restraint. It was IG Police Rajesh Das who landed up out of nowhere, gave the protesters 10 minutes to disperse and when they refused, ordered lathi charge and tear gas shelling. The men jumped into the sea; but women and children could not and were beaten up. This IG is the same man responsible for the firing on innocent Dalits at Paramakudi last year. He is stated to be incapable of handling sensitive situations.Yet he has been unleashing terror among the harmless villagers and hunting down SP Udayakumar, the PMANE coordinator, as if he is an international terrorist. One wonders as to whether Rajesh Das is taking orders from the autocratic Russian masters or the democratically elected Government of Tamil Nadu. Police is using the High Court order as a cover for indulging in brutality. The fact is that there have been several bizarre, irregular and illegal happenings connected with KKNPP from the very beginning. What baffles me is the clearance given for fuel loading and the nuclear establishment going ahead with this ‘commissioning process’ despite the scathing report of Comptroller & Auditor General of India about ‘lapses in safety measures’ by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) posing “grave threats.” CAG, the highly regarded constitutional watchdog has highlighted several lapses by AERB: Non-preparation of a nuclear and radiation policy; No safety documents as recommended by two expert committees; No decommissioning plan which is extremely critical for public safety; Non-adoption of international safety standards and practices.The Nuclear Power Corporation of India themselves have said that they are yet to implement the 17 safety measures recommended by the post-Fukushima taskforce. The environment clearance was given way back in 1988. There’s no fresh water near the site. Yet High Court has passed the order ignoring all these critical issues. The case is now in the Supreme Court Fact of the matter is that Nuclear power is neither the cleanest nor the safest. The human cost is too high. There’s been no new plant commissioned in the US for the last 20 years not only because of environmental concerns, but also because no bank is willing to fund it. No one is willing to insure a nuclear plant because of the risks involved. There are many hidden costs, among them the cost of decommissioning it after 40 years and storage of spent fuel for several centuries! We don’t need nuclear power. There are better alternatives available. We have no uranium, but the Government of India is sabotaging the development of new coal and thorium-based technology. The PM talks of energy security, but how can there be any security if we have to import the reactors and fuel from abroad? The pressure from the superpowers has led to major efforts to sabotage all alternatives. Australia doesn’t have a single nuclear plant and wants to sell us uranium! The policy is driven by foreign interests. And where’s the land to establish new nuclear plants of 2,50,000 MW capacity by 2050? In 1969, it was announced that by 2000, the country would have 43,500 mega watts of nuclear power. Today, we have just 4860 mega watts of nuclear power installed, of which barely 50 % is generated. It’s been a colossal failure. We have such fine IITs, they could have done R & D in solar and wind energy to reduce cost and improve efficiency. But such R & D was deliberately killed. Our Minister for New and Renewable Energy says India can’t survive without nuclear power! Regarding the allegation of foreign funds and NGOs, all I would say is that a jaundiced eye sees everything yellow. Protestors, mostly fishermen are Christians. The Church does get foreign funds, for welfare projects but that’s through legal channels. I don’t think any of that money has gone into this protest movement. Fundamentalist elements branded Muslims as terrorists; now Christians are being condemned as traitors? What kind of ‘secularism’ is this? The struggle in Kudankulam is indeed very unique. It is a community movement led by the people, not any particular leader. The 100-year-old St Lourdes church in Idinthkarai village provides space to the protesters, a majority of whom are fishermen and Christians. A few Hindu families residing in the village present a united front against the 2000 MW nuclear power plant. A majority of these fishermen know a lot about the harmful effects that a nuclear power plant might have on their environment and their livelihoods and about the Fukushima disaster. The protest against KKNPP has been going on ever since May 1989 when the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi signed an agreement with the Russians to build the nuclear plant in Kudankulam. Since then the locals have been raising their voices against the power plant, but nobody bothers to listen to them. Apart from Idinthakarai, 30 other villages around Kudankulam are fighting for the same cause. KKNPP would destroy the livelihood of most of these villagers who depend on fishing on the seas. It is audacious to say that KKNPP is perfectly safe and nuclear power should be pushed at any cost. Let us hear from Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of USSR who signed the 1989 Indo-Russian Nuclear Agreement that brought the KKNPP: “Today we know that about 77,000 square miles of territory in Europe and the former Soviet Union has been contaminated with radioactive fallout, leaving long-term challenges for flora, fauna, water, the environment, and human health. Tens of billions of dollars have already been spent in trying to contain and remediate the disaster, with a new containment shell now being constructed over the 1986 sarcophagus and what’s left of the reactor. The material damage inflicted by Chernobyl, although enormous, pales in significance when compared to the ongoing human costs. The true scope of the tragedy still remains beyond comprehension and is a shocking reminder of the reality of the nuclear threat. The closed nature and secrecy of the nuclear power industry, which had already experienced some 150 significant radiation leaks at nuclear power stations throughout the world before the Chernobyl fire, greatly contributed to the accident and response difficulties. As the global population continues to expand, and the demand for energy production grows, we must invest in alternative and more sustainable sources of energy—wind, solar, geothermal, hydro—and widespread conservation and energy efficiency initiatives as safer, more efficient, and more affordable avenues for meeting both energy demands and conserving our fragile planet.” Former Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, nearly a year after he oversaw his government’s widely criticized handling of the Fukushima Daiichi accident in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal has said: “I would like to tell the world that we should aim for a society that can function without nuclear energy.” Accordingly Japan cabinet has decided to phase out nuclear power in three stages and join Germany in being a totally nuclear free country. France, that has a dependency of 74% on nuclear energy is scaling it down to 50% and may further reduce it. Many other countries are following suit. India’s dependency on this source is a paltry 2.5% and this is the time to cry a halt starting with KKNPP. What is the way out, many people ask. The answer is that Government can still reverse their decision. PMANE Expert Team has suggested fuel-switching and make KKNPP a liquefied gas-based power plant. This can be supplemented with wind, solar and tidal power for which there is huge potential in Kudankulam and adjoining areas. India’s leadership should plan country’s energy security taking into account these natural resources and not by imitating other countries which lack the natural resources India has. Central Government and State Government of Tamilnadu should stop immediately the oppressive methods unleashed on the people agitating against KKNPP. An informed public debate and also a meaningful and an in-depth debate in Indian Parliament on the need for nuclear power will be in the interest of India’s future. KKNPP should not be commissioned till a full and proper independent examination of the safety aspects of all the existing nuclear installations and nuclear power plants is carried out including the damage caused to the environment around them which includes water, soil and life forms of all types. Indian people have a constitutional right to know all the things that have been pushed under the carpet by Department of Atomic Energy by misusing the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962. This should be complied with, lest the NUCLEARGATE, possibly the most massive of all scams could unfold very soon as predicted by Dr. A.Gopalakrishnan, eminent nuclear scientist and former Chairman of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board!

 FUKUSHIMA DISASTER ON 11.03.2011

Following a major earthquake, a 15-metre tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors, causing a nuclear accident on 11 March 2011. • All three cores largely melted in the first three days. • The accident was rated 7 on the INES scale, due to high radioactive releases in the first few days. Four reactors are written off - 2719 MWe net. • After two weeks the three reactors (units 1-3) were stable with water addition but no proper heat sink for removal of decay heat from fuel. By July they were being cooled with recycled water from the new treatment plant. Reactor temperatures had fallen to below 80ºC at the end of October, and official 'cold shutdown condition' was announced in mid December. • Apart from cooling, the basic ongoing task was to prevent release of radioactive materials, particularly in contaminated water leaked from the three units. • There have been no deaths or cases of radiation sickness from the nuclear accident, but over 100,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes to ensure this. Government nervousness has delayed their return. The Great East Japan Earthquake of magnitude 9.0 at 2.46 pm on Friday 11 March 2011 did considerable damage in the region, and the large tsunami it created caused very much more. The earthquake was centred 130 km offshore the city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture on the eastern cost of Honshu Island (the main part of Japan), and was a rare and complex double quake giving a severe duration of about 3 minutes. Japan moved a few metres east and the local coastline subsided half a metre. The tsunami inundated about 560 sq km and resulted in a human death toll of over 19,000 and much damage to coastal ports and towns with over a million buildings destroyed or partly collapsed.

Eleven reactors at four nuclear power plants in the region were operating at the time and all shut down automatically when the quake hit. Subsequent inspection showed no significant damage to any from the earthquake. The operating units which shut down were Tokyo Electric Power Company's (Tepco) Fukushima Daiichi 1, 2, 3, and Fukushima Daini 1, 2, 3, 4, Tohoku's Onagawa 1, 2, 3, and Japco's Tokai, total 9377 MWe net. Fukushima Daiichi units 4, 5 & 6 were not operating at the time, but were affected. The main problem initially centred on Fukushima Daiichi units 1-3. Unit 4 became a problem on day five. The reactors proved robust seismically, but vulnerable to the tsunami. Power, from grid or backup generators, was available to run the Residual Heat Removal (RHR) system cooling pumps at eight of the eleven units, and despite some problems they achieved 'cold shutdown' within about four days. The other three, at Fukushima Daiichi, lost power at 3.42 pm, almost an hour after the quake, when the entire site was flooded by the 15-metre tsunami. This disabled 12 of 13 back-up generators on site and also the heat exchangers for dumping reactor waste heat and decay heat to the sea. The three units lost the ability to maintain proper reactor cooling and water circulation functions. Electrical switchgear was also disabled.

Thereafter, many weeks of focused work centred on restoring heat removal from the reactors and coping with overheated spent fuel ponds. This was undertaken by hundreds of Tepco employees as well as some contractors, supported by firefighting and military personnel. Some of the Tepco staff had lost homes, and even families, in the tsunami, and were initially living in temporary accommodation under great difficulties and privation, with some personal risk. A hardened emergency response centre on site was unable to be used in grappling with the situation due to radioactive contamination. Three Tepco employees at the Daiichi and Daini plants were killed directly by the earthquake and tsunami, but there have been no fatalities from the nuclear accident. Among hundreds of aftershocks, an earthquake with magnitude 7.1, closer to Fukushima than the 11 March one, was experienced on 7 April, but without further damage to the plant. On 11 April a magnitude 7.1 earthquake and on 12 April a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, both with epicenter at Fukushima-Hamadori, caused no further problems. The two Fukushima plants and their siting The Daiichi (first) and Daini (second) Fukushima plants are sited about 11 km apart on the coast, Daini to the south. The recorded seismic data for both plants - some 180 km from the epicentre - shows that 550 Gal (0.56 g) was the maximum ground acceleration for Daiichi, and 254 Gal was maximum for Daini. Daiichi units 2, 3 and 5 exceeded their maximum response acceleration design basis in E-W direction by about 20%. The recording was over 130-150 seconds. (All nuclear plants in Japan are built on rock - ground acceleration was around 2000 Gal a few kilometres north, on sediments).

The original design basis tsunami height was 3.1 m for Daiichi based on assessment of the 1960 Chile tsunami and so the plant had been built about 10 metres above sea level with the seawater pumps 4 m above sea level. The Daini plant as built 13 metres above sea level. In 2002 the design basis was revised to 5.7 metres above, and the seawater pumps were sealed. Tsunami heights coming ashore were about 15 metres, and the Daiichi turbine halls were under some 5 metres of seawater until levels subsided. Daini was less affected. The maximum amplitude of this tsunami was 23 metres at point of origin, about 180 km from Fukushima. In the last century there have been eight tsunamis in the region with maximum amplitudes at origin above 10 metres (some much more), these having arisen from earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 to 8.4, on average one every 12 years. Those in 1983 and in 1993 were the most recent affecting Japan, with maximum heights at origin of 14.5 metres and 31 metres respectively, both induced by magnitude 7.7 earthquakes. The June 1896 earthquake of estimated magnitude 7.6 produced a tsunami with run-up height of 38 metres in Tohoku region, killing 27,000 people. The tsunami countermeasures taken when Fukushima Daiichi was designed and sited in the 1960s were considered acceptable in relation to the scientific knowledge then, with low recorded run-up heights for that particular coastline. But through to the 2011 disaster, new scientific knowledge emerged about the likelihood of a large earthquake and resulting major tsunami. However, this did not lead to any major action by either the plant operator, Tepco, or government regulators, notably the Nuclear & Industrial Safety Agency (NISA). The tsunami countermeasures could also have been reviewed in accordance with IAEA guidelines which required taking into account high tsunami levels, but NISA continued to allow the Fukushima plant to operate without sufficient countermeasures, despite clear warnings.

A report from the Japanese government's Earthquake Research Committee on earthquakes and tsunamis off the Pacific coastline of northeastern Japan in February 2011 was due for release in April, and might have brought about changes. The document includes analysis of a magnitude 8.3 earthquake that is known to have struck the region more than 1140 years ago, triggering enormous tsunamis that flooded vast areas of Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. The report concludes that the region should be alerted of the risk of a similar disaster striking again. The 11 March earthquake measured magnitude 9.0 and involved substantial shifting of multiple sections of seabed over a source area of 200 x 400 km. Tsunami waves devastated wide areas of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures. (See also background on Earthquakes and Seismic Protection for Nuclear Power Plants in Japan) Events at Fukushima Daiichi 1-3 & 4 It appears that no serious damage was done to the reactors by the earthquake, and the operating units 1-3 were automatically shut down in response to it, as designed. At the same time all six external power supply sources were lost due to earthquake damage, so the emergency diesel generators located in the basements of the turbine buildings started up. Initially cooling would have been maintained through the main steam circuit bypassing the turbine and going through the condensers. Then 41 minutes later the first tsunami wave hit, followed by a second 8 minutes later. These submerged and damaged the seawater pumps for both the main condenser circuits and the auxiliary cooling circuits, notably the Residual Heat Removal (RHR) cooling system. They also drowned the diesel generators and inundated the electrical switchgear and batteries, all located in the basements of the turbine buildings (the one surviving air-cooled generator was serving units 5 & 6). So there was a station blackout, and the reactors were isolated from their ultimate heat sink. The tsunamis also damaged and obstructed roads, making outside access difficult. All this put those reactors 1-3 in a dire situation and led the authorities to order, and subsequently extend, an evacuation while engineers worked to restore power and cooling. The 125-volt DC batteries for units 1 & 2 were flooded and failed, leaving them without instrumentation, control or lighting. Unit 3 had battery power for about 30 hours. At 7.03 pm Friday 11 March a Nuclear Emergency was declared, and at 8.50pm the Fukushima Prefecture issued an evacuation order for people within 2 km of the plant. At 9.23 pm the Prime Minister extended this to 3 km, and at 5.44 am on 12th he extended it to 10 km. He visited the plant soon after. On Saturday 12th he extended the evacuation zone to 20 km. Inside the Fukushima Daiichi reactors The Fukushima Daiichi reactors are GE boiling water reactors (BWR) of an early (1960s) design supplied by GE, Toshiba and Hitachi, with what is known as a Mark I containment. Reactors 1-3 came into commercial operation 1971-75. Reactor power is 460 MWe for unit 1, 784 MWe for units 2-5, and 1100 MWe for unit 6. When the power failed at 3.42 pm, about one hour after shutdown of the fission reactions, the reactor cores would still be producing about 1.5% of their nominal thermal power, from fission product decay - about 22 MW in unit 1 and 33 MW in units 2 & 3. Without heat removal by circulation to an outside heat exchanger, this produced a lot of steam in the reactor pressure vessels housing the cores, and this was released into the dry primary containment (PCV) through safety valves. Later this was accompanied by hydrogen, produced by the interaction of the fuel's very hot zirconium cladding with steam after the water level dropped. As pressure started to rise here, the steam was directed into the suppression chamber under the reactor, within the containment, but the internal temperature and pressure nevertheless rose quite rapidly. Water injection commenced, using the various systems provide for this and finally the Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS). These systems progressively failed over three days, so from early Saturday water injection to the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) was with fire pumps, but this required the internal pressures to be relieved initially by venting into the suppression chamber/ wetwell. Inside unit 1, it is understood that the water level dropped to the top of the fuel about three hours after the scram (6 pm) and the bottom of the fuel 1.5 hours later (7.30 pm). The temperature of the exposed fuel rose to some 2800°C so that the central part started to melt after a few hours and by 16 hours after the scram (7 am Saturday) most of it had fallen into the water at the bottom of the RPV. Since then RPV temperatures have decreased steadily. As pressure rose, attempts were made to vent the containment, and when external power and compressed air sources were harnessed this was successful, by about 2.30 pm Saturday. The venting was designed to be through an external stack, but in the absence of power much of it backflowed to the service floor at the top of the reactor building, representing a serious failure of this sytem. The vented steam, noble gases and aerosols were accompanied by hydrogen. At 3.36 pm on Saturday 12th, there was a hydrogen explosion on the service floor of the building above unit 1 reactor containment, blowing off the roof and cladding on the top part of the building, after the hydrogen mixed with air and ignited. (Oxidation of the zirconium cladding at high temperatures in the presence of steam produces hydrogen exothermically, with this exacerbating the fuel decay heat problem.) In unit 1 most of the core - as corium comprised of melted fuel and control rods - was assumed to be in the bottom of the RPV, but later it appeared that it had mostly gone through the bottom of the RPV and eroded about 65 cm into the drywell concrete below (which is 2.6 m thick). This reduced the intensity of the heat and enabled the mass to solidify. Much of the fuel in units 2 & 3 also apparently melted to some degree, but to a lesser extent than in unit 1, and a day or two later. In mid May the unit 1 core would still be producing 1.8 MW of heat, and units 2 & 3 would be producing about 3.0 MW each. In unit 2, water injection using the steam-driven back-up water injection system failed on Monday 14th, and it was about six hours before a fire pump started injecting seawater into the RPV. Before the fire pump could be used RPV pressure had to be relieved via the wetwell, which required power and nitrogen, hence the delay. Meanwhile the reactor water level dropped rapidly after back-up cooling was lost, so that core damage started about 8 pm, and it is now provisionally understood that much of the fuel then melted and probably fell into the water at the bottom of the RPV about 100 hours after the scram. Pressure was vented on 13th and again on 15th, and meanwhile the blowout panel near the top of the building was opened to avoid a repetition of unit 1 hydrogen explosion. Early on Tuesday 15th, the pressure suppression chamber under the actual reactor seemed to rupture, possibly due to a hydrogen explosion there, and the drywell containment pressure inside dropped. However, subsequent inspection of the suppression chamber did not support the rupture interpretation. Later analysis suggested that a leak of the PCV developed on Tuesday 15th. In Unit 3, the main back-up water injection system failed at 11 am on Saturday 12th and early on Sunday 13th, water injection using the high pressure system failed also and water levels dropped dramatically. RPV pressure was reduced by venting steam into the wetwell, allowing injection of seawater using a fire pump from just before noon. Early on Sunday venting the suppression chamber and containment was successfully undertaken. It is now understood that core damage started about 9 am and much or all of the fuel melted on the morning of Sunday 13th and possibly fell into the water at the bottom of the RPV, or was retained on the core support plate within the shroud. Early on Monday 14th PCV venting was repeated, and this evidently backflowed to the service floor of the building, so that at 11 am a very large hydrogen explosion here above unit 3 reactor containment blew off much of the roof and walls and demolished the top part of the building. This explosion created a lot of debris, and some of that on the ground near unit 3 was very radioactive. In defueled unit 4, at about 6 am on Tuesday 15 March, there was an explosion which destroyed the top of the building and damaged unit 3's superstructure further. This was apparently from hydrogen arising in unit 3 and reaching unit 4 by backflow in shared ducts when vented from unit 3. Water has been injected into each of the three reactor units more or less continuously, and in the absence of normal heat removal via external heat exchanger this water was boiling off for some months. In the government report to IAEA in June it was estimated that to the end of May about 40% of the injected water boiled off, and 60% leaked out the bottom. In June this was adding to the contaminated water on site by about 500 m3 per day. There was a peak of radioactive release on 15th, but the source remains uncertain. Due to volatile and easily-airborne fission products being carried with the hydrogen and steam, the venting and hydrogen explosions discharged a lot of radioactive material into the atmosphere, notably iodine and caesium. NISA said in June that it estimated that 800-1000 kg of hydrogen had been produced in each of the units.

Mamata Banerjee withdraws support to UPA government

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday night declared that Trinamool Congress would pull out of the UPA government. After a two-hour long meeting with ministers, MPs and party leaders, she said said that it was not feasible for Trinamool Congress to remain within UPA II.

At a press conference in Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee said: "We are withdrawing our support. Our six Trinamool ministers will go to Delhi, meet the Prime Minister and tender their resignations at 3 PM," TMC chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced after a meeting of party MPs, top leaders and office-bearers.

"We are never being heard, so what is the use being in the Centre? I have given enough chance to the UPA II, but the Centre is only taxing the poor people. The price of petrol, diesel, fertilisers are on the rise. Even the government is putting enormous pressure on the common people by hiking the price of LPG." The Trinamool chief had wanted 12 cylinders per family at a subsidised rate, but it was not honoured.

Mamata had repeatedly threatened to withdraw support after petrol prices were hiked and following her threats the Centre had rolled back the price of petrol partly.

Banerjee said the FDI decision was unveiled to divert attention from the coal blocks allocation controversy involving the government. Moreover, there is no attempt by the Centre to bring back black money that is stashed abroad, she said.

Mamata said that the Congress leaders had been regularly criticising her, but the Trinamool had been part of UPA II, but now it was not possible to continue with the Congress.

However, it is a matter to be seen if the Congress ministers in Mamata Banerjee's government will continue or will step down. As many of the state ministers of Congress are willing to step down until they are compelled to do it.

Mamata Banerjee had been demanding before the Centre for a bailout package for West Bengal.

A section of the political experts, however, are feeling that the Trinamool is keeping hopes alive that the Prime Minister might roll back some of his harsh decisions and will approach the Trinamool for reconsidering the decision. However, some of the experts felt that this decision to withdraw support has once again helped Mamata to improve her image in public.

On Saturday, Mamata had walked on the streets demanding a roll back of diesel price and of fertiliser. She said that attempts were made by Congress-ruled government to kill the common people, which she cannot endorse and for that she had to take this harsh decision to pull out from the Centre.

The decision brings the UPA's effective strength in the 545-seat Lok Sabha from 273 to 254, which is slightly below the half-way mark.

This would make the UPA more dependent on the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, both of which extend outside legislative support to the UPA regime.

NORKA ROOTS KOZHIKODE CONDUCTED ONAM FEST 2012

NORKA ROOTS CONDUCTED IFTAR PARTY ON 26.07.2012

CPM censures Kerala stalwart V.S Achuthanandan

Senior CPI (M) leader VS Achuthanandan, who has been critical of CPI (M) leadership in Kerala over several issues, was on Sunday publicly censured by the party on charges of providing opponents an opportunity to attack it.

The decision to take disciplinary action against 88-year-old VS, as he is popularly known, for his "wrong remarks and for violation of the basic norms of the party" was taken by the CPI(M) Central Committee after a two-day meeting which ended in New Delhi on Sunday evening.

"We are not happy to do this. We hope this chapter ends here," CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told a press conference.

The Central Committee described him as the senior most leader of the party in Kerala and expected that he act in such a manner which will help the party to unitedly face the current situation.

Public censure is the third stage of punishment in CPI (M). For disciplinary action, CPI (M) has six stages --warning, censure, public censure, removal from the post in the party, suspension from full party membership for any period but not exceeding one year and expulsion.

Achuthanandan, the Leader of Opposition in Kerala and a member of the Central Committee, has been at loggerheads with the state party leadership on several issues, including the recent killing of a CPI (M) rebel TP Chandrasekharan.

He was also opposed to the decisions taken by his bete noire and Kerala CPI (M) Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, whose faction had insisted in the Central Committee that strict action should be taken against Achuthanandan.

Earlier in the day, Achuthanandan was called to the meeting of the Politburo which was convened after the morning session of Central Committee. Achuthanandan explained his position in the meeting which was also attended by Vijayan.

Karat said the Central Committee considered a report submitted by the Politburo on the prevailing situation in Kerala and party related matters there.

"The Central Committee noted that Achuthanandan had made certain statements publicly criticising the state leadership of the party and taken some steps which have provided opportunities for the political opponents to attack the Party.

"After the discussion, VS self-critically told the Central Committee that some of his remarks and actions were incorrect and could have been avoided," Karat said.

On this basis, he said the Central Committee decided to publicly censure Achuthanandan for his "wrong remarks and for violation of the basic norms of the party.

"The Central Committee expects VS, the senior most leader of the party in Kerala, to act in such a manner which will help the party to unitedly face the current situation," a Central Committee Communique said.

Karat also claimed that the murder of Chandrasekaran is being utilised to conduct a concerted campaign against the party.

"The Central Committee condemned the efforts of the UDF government which has directed the police to falsely implicate party leaders and cadres in this case. The party has already declared that it is not involved in the murder of Chandrasekaran and had strongly condemned it.

"The party does not believe in elimination of political opponents," Karat said, adding that CPI (M) will conduct an inquiry into the matter to ascertain if there is any involvement of anyone associated with the Party in this incident.

"Firm action will be taken if anybody is found to be involved from the Party and any wrong trend if it exists in the Party will be put down firmly," he said.

He said the Central Committee asked Kerala state committee to take appropriate action in the matter concerning MM Mani, former Secretary of the Idukki District Committee of the party who has created controversy by claiming that party had made a list of opponents who should be killed and some of them were murdered.

VS hits out at Kerala CPM party leadership

V S Achuthanandan, in a speech made in Malayalam at the central committee meeting, which was translated into English by M A Baby, hit out against the current leadership for its “rightist deviations.” According to him, the party has lost all its “communist values” under the current leadership.

Questioning the unilateral decisions taken by the state leadership, VS insisted that the majority in state panel need not be a reflection of the common sentiment in the party. He listed out the number of occasions where the state party had to be corrected by the central leadership despite the fact that all decisions were taken by the majority. He cited the party decision to have tie ups with DIC(K) and TDP to buttress his points. He cited the controversies surrounding his own candidature in 2006 and again in 2011 to put across the points. Stating that party central leadership had corrected the state leadership in all these issues, VS wanted to know what actions have been taken against those who tried to mislead the party in all these subjects.

Pinarayi Vijayan who spoke after VS gave all possible details of the occasions when VS openly flouted the party line putting the party in a difficult situation. That Pinarayi himself spoke in the CC underlines the importance the state leadership attaches to the current CC. Usually it is either Thomas Isaac or Vijayaraghavan who used to speak the line of official faction in the CC.

He said that VS has been engaged in an open fight with the party and thereby helping the opponents. He cited the visit paid by VS to the house of slain T P Chandrsekharan on the very day there was a by-election.

The absence of some important leaders including P Karunakaran who had opposed the state leadership on T P Chandrsekharan’s murder, M C Josephine and Subhashini Ali, ardent supporters of VS turned disadvantageous to VS in the meeting as nobody openly came out in support to VS. Thomas Issac, P K Gurudasan and Vijayaraghavan too spoke in the CC. While Vijayaraghavan was for disciplinary action against VS, Gurudasan opposed it. Isaac, on the other hand, was for action against VS and those who are involved in TP murder.

DMRC to take up Kochi Metro: Kamal Nath

Union minister for Urban Development Kamal Nath said that Kochi Metro project would be given to DMRC only. On whether the charge of Kochi Metro be entrusted to E Sreedharan will be taken jointly by the state govt and DMRC. The centre would not interfere in this. He also said that the Kochi Metro would be on the lines of Chennai Metro.

Opposition leader V S Achuthanandhan had on Sunday alleged that the govt lacks clarity in implementing the Kochi Metro project. The government appears to be dithering on handing over the Kochi metro rail responsibility to DMRC, he had told reporters.

The previous govt had decided to hand over the project to DMRC. And according to that only, the govt had spent money in the first phase. It is also learnt that Metro Rail MD Tom Jose had discreet meetings in Bangalore on this and the govt seems to be oblivious of that. But E Sreedharan is a honest man and that is the reason the project need to be entrusted to him, VS said. VS also added that the govt is trying to make Tom Jose and Sreedharan work together.

Kochi Metro: Chandy, Sreedharan to hold talks today
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and E. Sreedharan will hold talks today in Thiruvananthapuram. It is expected that a consensus will be reached regarding the participation of DMRC and Sreedharan in the Kochi Metro rail project. The project engineer of Kochi Metro, P. Sriram will also join the discussion.

CERN scientists find new particle known as ' GOD PARTICLES

Joe Incandela, leader of one of the two independent teams at the world's biggest atom smasher, told a packed audience of scientists at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) that the data has reached the level of certainty needed for a discovery.

But he has not yet confirmed that the new particle is indeed the tiny and elusive Higgs boson, which is believed to give all matter in the universe size and shape.

Meanwhile, the second team of physicists also claimed they have observed a new particle, probably the elusive Higgs boson.

The announcements were made to huge applause by scientists including Peter Higgs who first suggested the existence of the particle in 1964.

In a statement, CERN said the particle they found at LHC is "consistent with (the) long-sought Higgs boson," but more data was needed to identify the find.
"We have reached a milestone in our understanding of nature," said CERN Director General Rolf Heuer.

"The discovery of a particle consistent with the Higgs boson opens the way to more detailed studies, requiring larger statistics, which will pin down the new particle's properties, and is likely to shed light on other mysteries of our Universe," Heuer said.
Finding the Higgs would validate the Standard Model, a theory which identifies the building blocks for matter and the particles that convey fundamental forces.

Higgs boson is believed to exist in an invisible field created by the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago. When some particles encounter the Higgs, they slow down and acquire mass, according to theory. Others, such as particles of light, encounter no obstacle.

12.36% Service tax imposed on money send by NRIs

The UPA government has decided to charge 12.36 per cent service tax from July 1 onwards on the fees paid by NRIs sending money to their country.
This service tax will be deducted from the remittances sent by employees, including many poor labourers, from the Gulf, the US and other places. This approach is the antithesis of the Government’s policy of encouraging exporters, who bring foreign exchange to India.



Non-resident Indians transfer more than $65 billion annually to dependents in India. These remittances account for more than 3 per cent of India’s GDP and have been instrumental in reducing the current account deficit by shoring up the country’s foreign exchange reserves.


States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Punjab are among the regions worldwide that depend heavily on international remittance. The share of NRI remittance in the State’s net domestic product is 31 per cent in Kerala, 13 per cent in Punjab and 7 per cent in Tamil Nadu.

Major fire at Maha secretariat building - Dozens trapped in burning

A major fire raged in the Maharashtra Mantrayala or secretariat here Thursday, with a man who escaped claiming that some 50 people were trapped in the building. Two killed and 16 people have been injured in the fire.

Scores of people were perched on some of the balconies waiting to be rescued as thick black columns of smoke billowed out of the windows of the sprawling building in the heart of Mumbai.

There was no immediate report of any casualty but several people were suspected trapped on the upper floors and terrace, prompting authorities to press into service contingents of the elite commandos of Force One and city police's Quick Response Teams. Two teams from the naval dockyard were also rushed.



Panic gripped the sprawling building, the seat of state administration, after the fire, first noticed around 2.45 pm, spread swiftly to fifth, sixth and seventh floors.

Towering plumes of blinding smoke soon engulfed the building making it difficult for the fire brigade to evacuate the stranded.

According to sources, nearly 5,000 people vacated the building within 20 minutes of the fire breaking out.

Fire brigade personnel with huge hydraulic ladders were seen bringing down those trapped.

Choking in thick black smoke, several people were seen standing precariously on the parapet and balconies, waiting to be rescued. Many could be seen rappelling down the ropes and drain pipes in a desperate attempt to escape.

According to sources, the Urban Development Department, which is embroiled in a controversy over the Adarsh scam, and departments of Home, Revenue and Industries were the worst affected by the fire.



The offices of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and his Deputy Ajit Pawar on the sixth floor were also damaged.

An eye witnesses said some people were injured but no immediate official confirmation was available.

Pachpute said he heard a blast soon after the blaze started. Though his staff used fire extinguishers to put out the flames, it spread rapidly.

"I ran down and pulled out my cabinet colleague Jayant Patil from his third floor cabin," Pachpute said.

Animal Husbandry Minister Madhukar Chavan said he heard several blasts in the air-conditioners at he attempted to escape.

Pachpute said the fire brigade started its work around 3.05 pm, nearly 20 minutes after the blaze started.



Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik, who arrived at the spot, said the rear portion of the building had suffered the maximum damage but did not confirm if anyone was injured.

Efforts to douse the flames were hampered by winds, he said.

To persistent questions if Adarsh files had been destroyed in the fire, he said, "Our primary concern is to sort out the situation, to rescue people."

Chief Minister Chavan and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar were superivising efforts to quell the fire and rescue the trapped.

Meanwhile, the Navy has pressed into service two helicopters that hovered over the Mantralaya to rescue those who might have been stuck.

SELVARAJ (UDF) WIN NEYYATINKARA BY- POLL

The UDF candidate R. Selvaraj has won the Neyyattinkara by- poll defeating his nearest rival F. Lawrance of the LDF by a huge margin of 6334 votes here on Friday.
As the counting began at 8 a.m. this morning, BJP candidate O. Rajagopal had an initial lead. However, the position soon changed in favour of the LDF candidate.
The situation changed again when the 56th table was counted with the UDF candidate establishing a lead.



In the by-election which saw Bharatiya Janata Party’s O. Rajagopal putting up a strong show, Mr. Selvaraj secured 52,528 votes against CPI(M) nominee F. Lawrence’s 46,194 votes. Equally significant as Mr. Selvaraj’s victory was Mr. Rajagopal’s strong showing. He raised his party’s tally in the constituency by over four-fold as compared to 2011 Assembly election by securing 30,507 votes. The BJP nominee had secured only 6,730 votes in 2011.



Reacting to the UDF win, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said it was endorsement of UDF rule and proof that the people of Kerala did not approve of the ‘politics of murder and violence being practiced’ by the CPI(M). Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala said that UDF victory a strong reply to the ‘politics of murder’ of the CPI(M) and an expression of the people’s faith in the Oommen Chandy government and the UDF.

T.P MURDER CASE PRIME ACCUSED KODI SUNI,KIRMANI MANOJ AND SHAFI ARE UNDER POLICE CUSTODY

The SIT probing the TP Chandrasekharan murder case held the main accused Kodi Suni on Thursday. It is reported that the other members in the team Kirmani Manoj and Shafi are also under custody now. But police did not reveal from where they were held. It is learnt that the three of them where held from a house in Iritti, Kannur.



It was six months back that Kodi Suni was released from Kannur central jail. With this, among the 7 who was in the team which killed TP, 6 are in custody. Shinoj is the only one left. Sijith, TK Rajeesh and Anoop were held earlier. Kodi Suni is the main accused in Fasal murder case too.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on June 9-10, 2012

The Central Committee discussed the prevailing political situation in Kerala. After the killing of T. P. Chandrasekharan on May 4, there has been a concerted campaign blaming the CPI(M) for the murder. This campaign has been unleashed by the Central Minister of State for Home, the Chief Minister and the Congress leaders in Kerala. This propaganda was kept up in view of the Assembly bye-election in Neyyattinkara which was held on June 2.

The police investigation is sought to be influenced by the government and the ruling party. The police is trying to implicate leaders of the Party in Kozhikode and Kannur districts.



The Party has condemned the brutal killing and denied any involvement in the incident. The Party has strongly asserted that it does not believe in the elimination of political opponents. The Party leadership has also stated that on enquiry, if it is found that there is involvement of any Party member at any level, strong action will be taken. The Central Committee called upon the Party ranks to unitedly face this anti-Communist campaign and mobilise the people to rebuff the attempts to defame the Party.

Case registered against IUML legislator P.K.BASHEER MLA

The police on Monday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader P K Basheer, MLA, for making provocative speech leading to murder.
Police said FIR has been lodged with Edavanna Police Station in Malappuram district on complaint of relatives of two brothers, who were hacked to death by masked men last night.

According to the complainants, the duo, Kolakkadan Azad (45) and his brother Kolakkadan Aboobacker (46), were hacked by the assailants following the speech delivered by Basheer at a function few days ago, the police added. Azad and Aboobacker, injured seriously in the attack last night, succumbed in two separate hospitals in Kozhikode Monday morning.

The Opposition Party (LDF) stages walk-out over Govt failure to contain viral fever epidamic

The Opposition Marxist-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) staged a walk-out in the Kerala Assembly today in protest against alleged failure of the government to take measures to contain the spread of viral fever and other diseases.

However, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy assured the House that effective measures were being taken to tackle the situation.

Stating that medicines had been made available in all the government hospitals, he said steps were being taken to fill up the vacancies for doctors in government department.



Health Minister Adoor Prakash said as many as 179 people had lost their lives this year due to leptospirosis, hepatatis and other viral diseases. The situation was being brought under control and there was no cause for panic.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition V S Achuthanandan said the steps taken by the government were not satisfactory as more than 2,000 people lost their lives in the state in the recent past due to viral diseases.



As the Speaker turned down the request for an adjournment motion over the issue based on the Minister's reply, the entire Opposition staged a walk out from the House

M.M.Mani removed from party post by CPI(M)for controversial speech

Cracking the whip, CPI(M) on Wednesday removed its Idukki district secretary M.M. Mani from his post for his controversial speech that the party had eliminated political foes in the past, which had embarrassed the organisation and invited an all round condemnation.

The CPI (M) state Secretariat said action against Mani was taken as he had deviated from the party's stand in the controversial speech made at a public meeting in Idukki recently. CPI (M) Politburo had also directed the state unit to take disciplinary action against Mani, who had remained defiant and refused to quit the post despite all round condemnation of his speech and police filing murder cases against him.



"Mani's speech had been used by CPI (M)'s enemies to attack the party. The party had no role in the murders that took place in Idukki district in the past, as the Congress-led UDF and a section of the media being propagated," the CPI (M) said in a release at the end of its two-day Secretariat meeting. While removing Mani from the party post, the Secretariat also sought an explanation from him for his speech.

Prime Minister Should Reply on Coal Scam Charges: CPI

CPI today demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reply to charges of irregularities in allocation of coal blocks instead of evading an answer over the issue.

"The CAG report submitted to Parliament says that the losses incurred by government due to the allocation of coal blocks to private companies is higher than even the 2G scam. The CAG said the coal blocks were alloted when the portfolio was held by the PMO.

"The Prime Minister asserts he is clean but his responsibility would not go by saying so. He should reply what is his responsibility and that of the PMO," CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters here.

"The Prime Minister is trying to evade a reply by saying that he is clean and that his integrity cannot be questioned. PMO had a role in the matter and we demand that he take responsibility for it," he said.

Training his guns on Prime Minister, Reddy wondered why Manmohan Singh remained silent when CPI sought cancellation of licences in the 2G issue in 2008.

"The probe (into 2G scam) was held only after the Supreme Court intervened. What was his responsibility in this," he said.



"How can Singh claim to be clean when 22 MPs were purchased to save his government during the no-confidence motion moved after the Left parties withdrew their support to UPA-I over the Indo-US nuclear deal in 2008, the CPI general secretary alleged.

"He can prove his integrity by explaining the PMO's role in coal gate and also the role of his party in purchasing the MPs," he said.

On the petrol price hike, the CPI leader demanded that the Centre and also states should reduce the taxes imposed by them on petroleum products to alleviate the burden on common man.



Slamming Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy for his reported comments that all parties indulged in populist measures, he said it is meaningless to describe the demand for reducing the "abnormally high taxes imposed by the government" as populism.

The CPI general secretary demanded that a white paper be released on the benefits accrued to private companies due to the hike in petro prices.

"How can Reliance company be allowed to export some of its petroleum products at a time when petrol is being imported for domestic consumption," he said.

Alleging that the PMO has urged the Petroleum Ministry to reconsider its decision to disallow Reliance to hike the prices of its petro products from the KG basin, Reddy charged that it is only an attempt to benefit a private company.



Objecting to the subsidies given to corporate companies to the tune of over Rs five lakh crore in the 2012 Union Budget, he said such proposals should be scrapped to help the country tide over the present economic crisis.

A special Parliament session should be convened for the purpose, he said.

Finding fault with the white paper released by the Centre on black money, he said "it was only an attempt to white wash" as it did not give information over who are the depositors and the promise of confiscating their ill-gotten wealth.

The names of all depositors in the Swiss banks be revealed to establish the innocence of late Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors issue, Reddy said.

CPI and other Left parties would conduct a nationwide campaign from July 1-30 in support of its demand for tabling the Food Security Bill in the next session of Parliament after consulting all parties, Reddy said.

Demanding that the criteria for determining poverty line be redefined in a rational manner, CPI and Left parties would organise "collective sit-in" from July 30 to August three in Delhi, he added.

Replying to a query on Presidential election, he said the party favoured electing a political, secular and honest person with "wide possible acceptability" as Rashtrapati.

Achuthanandan visits TP Chandrasekharan's house

Opposition leader and CPM veteran V S Achuthanandhan on Saturday visited late Revolutionary Marxist Party leader TP Chandrasekharan's house at Onchiyam. The veteran leader was greeted with slogans praising him at Onchiyam. He met Chandrasekharan's widow Rama and held talks. The visit, in all probability, will accentuate divisions in the CPI(M). Achuthanandan visited TP's house soon after Pinarayi Vijayan and Poliburo member S Ramachandra Pillai met him at the Kozhikode guest guest.

Chandrasekharan, 51, was killed in Onchiyam near here Friday night while returning home on a two-wheeler. Chandrasekharan, once a prominent CPI(M) leader in the party stronghold Onjiyam in Kozhikode district, was expelled a few years ago after he fell out with the leadership. He later joined the RMP floated by CPI(M) rebels and wrested control of Onjiyam village panchayat, ending decades-old rule of the CPI(M).

POLLING CROSSES 82 PERCENT IN NEYYATTINKARA BY ELECTION

More than 82 percent of the 1,64,856 voters had exercised their franchise during polling in the Neyyattinkara constituency today.
There are 863 service voters in the constituency. Of the total electorate, 85,441 are women and 79,415 men.
The polling process in 15 booths will be webcast real time.
According to police report, 70 out of 143 polling stations have been identified as sensitive in the Neyyattinkara. It has been decided to install CCTV cameras in these sensitive polling booths.
Though the main electoral fight in Neyyatinkara, situated in the southernmost part of the state, is between R Selvaraj (Congress) of UDF and F Lawrence (CPI-M), the entry of former Union Minister and senior BJP leader O Rajagopal as BJP candidate has virtually turned the contest into a three- cornered one.
The poll results are crucial especially for CPI-M as it is their sitting seat. The Left party is also facing an image loss at present after some activists were arrested in connection with the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T P Chandrasekharan at Onchiyam in Kozhikode on May 4.