Chennai, July 16 (PTI): The Madras High Court today directed the Tirunelveli District Collector and Chief Engineer, Public Works Department, to appear in court on July 19 in connection with the writ petitions relating to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project. Not convinced with an affidavit filed by the officers, a Division Bench, comprising Justices P Jyothimani and S Duraiswamy, gave the direction when hearing on the petitions resumed. Collector R Selvaraj, on a common counter affidavit, filed through the Advocate General, A Navaneethakrishnan, said as part of the `off-site emergency measure, on June nine, a mock emergency was declared and a drill of counter measures conducted in three stages,as prescribed in the emergency plan. Nakkanery, which was seven km from KKNPP, was selected as a `locally affected area for the purpose of the exercise. This was observed, among others, by officials from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. Every two years one village falling within a radius of 16 km of the KKNPP will be covered by the exercise, the affidavit said. The Judges also sought additional details about the Rs 500 crore development and welfare measures in and around Kudankulam. Meanwhile, the Public Union for Civil Liberties has charged that the entire project was shrouded in secrecy. In a petition seeking to be impleaded in the petition by one G Sundarrajan against the commissioning of the nuclear plant, the PUCL claimed that even till date crucial documents had been withheld from public which had "emboldened the Centre and state government to violate the law with impunity." PTI GR BN
