Rewa villagers halt drilling for a private 2x220 MW nuclear plant over Gram Sabha consent

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Rewa (Madhya Pradesh). On October 9 villagers near Rojhauhi stopped drilling equipment sent for site investigations for a proposed 2x220 MW nuclear power project, The Indian Express reports. Tata Power’s letter of July 13 described pre-project activities; a Collector’s office letter of August 21 covers eight boreholes, four of them 100 m deep. A special Gram Sabha at Sarai Kala on September 3 recorded objections, and the sarpanch wrote that consent was not granted. Activist Shivanand Dwivedi alleged no public hearing was held and the no-objection certificate rested on a “forged and fabricated letter”. Collector Narendra Kumar Suryavanshi said no land was allotted, only suitability testing was permitted, and the administration had received the Gram Sabha’s consent before the protests. A 220 MW unit is India’s small indigenous pressurised heavy water reactor.