Comic relief for Jaitapur N-plant fears

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) has turned to comic strips to dispel safety fears of villagers about atomic energy.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) has turned to comic strips to dispel safety fears of villagers about atomic energy.

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The move by the Government-run nuclear plant operator is an attempt to address opposition by locals and activists to the planned nuclear power project in Jaitapur, Maharashtra and questions that may come up at sites of other proposed projects. The comic dwells on the benefits of atomic power and dispels misconceptions related to the same.

Titled Ek Tha Budhiya: Kahani Ek Khushal Gaon Ki (The story of a prosperous village), the comic narrates the story of Jagdishpur, a village that had been underdeveloped due to ignorance and superstition, but undergoes a transformation when a nuclear power plant is built there.

NPCIL will distribute the comic (in Marathi) to the people in Jaitapur and Madhya Pradesh and in Hindi in Haryana where nuclear power projects have been proposed.

The move is part of the company's public awareness programme with regard to nuclear power, said Ranjit Kakde, General Manager (corporate communications), NPCIL.

The comic book will be distributed among local people as well as in schools, Booklets have already been dispatched in for people in Jaitapur, he added.

The story starts with the residents of Jagdishpur approaching the village head and expressing concern over a nuclear power plant coming up in their village.

The village head assures them that there is nothing to be afraid of and his grandson dispels misconceptions about the adverse effects of the plant.