Rendezvous with an Anti-Nuclear Activist

Saraswati Kavula is an Anti-nuclear activist from Movement against Uranium Projects (MAUP), Andhra Pradesh which enjoys the support of Human Rights Forum (HRF), National Alliance For People’s Movement (NAPM), and National Alliance of Anti-Nuclear Movements (NAAM).She has been actively opposing nuclear developments in Andhra Pradesh for over a decade.


Question (Vinayak). What is the situation in Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) related to “Nuclear” developments?

Answer (Saraswati)- The situation is scary. In A.P.the plan is to build Nuclear reactors in districts of Nalagunda, Kadappa, Shikakulam and Vishakhapatnam (near BHABHA ATOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE). All these plants are planned within a radius of 100km. We have opposed the construction of these plants with the support of people from HRF and NAPM. In spite of our efforts the government has remained unperturbed. Everyone knows how harmful nuclear waste is, even the government knows that. What do you think, don’t they know about the alternate sources of energy. Everyone knows, but that is not in the interest of the big money holder’s they work for. No one in this world can dispose off nuke waste in a safe manner yet they are propagating it. “I don’t know where they want to take this country!”


Question: What do you think of the politicians’ stand on Nuclear Power debate especially in A.P.?

Answer: The political stand has always wavered. For example when YS Rajasekhar Reddy(Y.S.R. Reddy) was the leader of opposition in A.P. he opposed uranium mining in Nalagunda but when he came to power, he vehemently supported the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kadappa.



Question: Many hydel-power projects have been established in A.P. as well. Are you supportive of them?

Answer: Rivers like Krishna and Godavari are sinking because of dams. Do you know by building these days, silt from rivers is not coming down as a consequence of which deltas are sinking. These large hydel projects require huge capital, vast areas of cultivable land are wasted and millions of people are displaced. High dams are not sustainable. We are simply disturbing the nature by building them. It’s utter madness.


Question: How do you think we can meet our growing energy needs?

Answer:-Why do you need so much energy? For whom is this energy required? For big corporates or the common man. The poor man does not want so much energy. His first need is food and water. It is just the rich elite class which is craving for energy.

I am much happy living in a mud house living a happy and healthy life. As far as alternate solutions go we can use solar energy. India has got such vast potential for solar, why not manifest on that. Even countries like Germany are going for it then why can’t we do it.


Question: India is growing in the manufacturing sector. We need energy for development. Don’t we?

Answer-What is development?

You say industries are growing yet there is less employment, why?

People are losing out on jobs. Adivasis are being thrown out from their home land and ripped off their livelihood. It is all being done by the rich for the rich, all in the name of development.

Whose development are you referring to??

It has not benefited the common man.

Why do you want to throw a farmer out of farmland in the name of development, it is his means of earning livelihood.


Question: What mechanism do you suggest to overcome our employment and energy problems?

Answer-“The answer to our problems lies in decentralizing the production and distribution of energy in India”. When every state is self reliant then the transmission problems can be solved.

As Gandhi ji put it-“Small scale industry is better than a large scale industry”.

I’ll give the example of Indian textiles. Our handloom sector was best in the world. British came up with industrialization; handloom could not compete the stern competition in terms of price and eventually died. It rendered millions out of their jobs precisely that is what is happening in contemporary India. We have to promote and adopt decentralization. See, this thing the elite and the big corporates will not promote because “if small scale grows it will hamper the growth of large scale”.


Question: Don’t you think you are pushing the country back?

Answer-No we are not going back, we are simply trying to restructure the system .Please don’t give up what was good in the past .Instead of going crazy, we need to start saving more rather than generating more. Liberalization has messed this all up, it has been responsible for the current energy and employment crisis. This whole model of development is faulty. It does not solve problems. What is the use of a higher GDP if people’s health has deteriorated?


Question: What I get from your talks is that all we need is food, shelter and clothing, that’s it.

Answer-Well, these must be met first. At least the country must have proper health, sanitation, food and drinking water facilities as priority and then we can think of development. What’s the point of competing with the world when you can’t provide your people with the bare minimum?