A day at Koodankulam

 
A day at Koodankulam

Lawn of sagar Milan

 

Vishnu had often said that the guesthouse at Kudankulam Atomic Power station township and the private beach are very attractive and that we can go and stay there for a day.  I was one of those who opposed the agitation by SP Udayakumar and a few locals against the nuclear power plant in 2011. That time I had the intention to visit the place, but not materialized. So I became happy to take the opportunity.

 In Tamil Nadu, there was a power cut of 16-18 hours that time. Many of the companies were locked up. I remember that there was half an hour power cut  in Kerala too. Our environmental activists had written numerous articles against the nuclear plant. There was a lot of negative news like the fishes would die due to release of hot water to the sea , the human beings  would not be able to tolerate nuclear radiation etc. The protest became strong after  the Fukushima accident in Japan . The protesters received foreign aid as certain countries wanted to torpedo the Russian project. The church also joined. In 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a statement in the Lok Sabha about the diversion of fund received for religious activities by three NGOs to support  the agitation. A case was registered against them for misappropriation of foreign money. The agitation was later called off. The first plant became operational in 2013. Kerala also gets 266 MW of electricity now from kudankulam plant.

 The township is located on the road from Nagercoil to Thiruchendur via Anchugramam. We informed our arrival for lunch and left Nagarcoil at eleven o'clock.  The road was not so smooth ,but we arrived there at one o'clock. The township can be summed up in one word, beautiful. I did not expect the township to be so wonderful. Well-planned roads, buildings, large open spaces, grounds for various games, shops, school, flats and guesthouse enhance the beauty of the township. Nice green gardens are the most attractive. As soon as we reached the Sagar Milan guest house where we were staying, we felt the positive energy that surrounds us. Everywhere ,we can see  birds and trees,excellent clean spaces.  Delicious food, lovingly served by the staff added its beauty. We rested on the lawn for some time after the meal. Grand daughter Padma  also enjoyed it. Just watching the  peacocks, cranes and various migratory birds roam the fields in search of food ,itself was interesting.

 We went into the room and rested for a while. In the evening ,we  went to the beach. It is a private beach with access only to those who live in the township. Nice clean shore. There were about ten people. One security person was there. He said ,on safety point ,bathing is not allowed.We agreed to it though the waves are not very strong. We thoroughly enjoyed the beach and the sea. Spent about two hours there. Came back and had dinner. The north indian dishes were extremely good. Mean while , a Malayalee working at the nuclear power plant came there. He already knew Vishnu. He is a member of the Thripunithura Palace. His conversation was humorous enough and interesting. He talked about the agitation against the nuclear power plant. He said ,the evacuees received large sums of money. The natives got jobs also. All those who were protesting then, feel guilty of that. The same was agreed by the staff there.
 
The public has the opportunity to see the nuclear plant,he said. Before Covid,there was a flow of school- college students every day, but ,now, comparatively less . The township is home to 7,000 people,with all the facilities  including hospitals. We decided to visit the nuclear power plant next time. He reminded that  children under 12 would not be permitted. We  said goodbye to him and walked out and spent some time on campus and into the park. We woke up in the morning to the sounds of birds. Sreekutty and Vishnu had to go to work, so we started  before breakfast.We returned with full satisfaction. Vishnu and Sreekuttan went to  Thoothukudi and we to Nagercoil.

Enjoying the beach