BJD opposes proposed nuclear plant in Odisha, warns of mass agitation

BJD leader claimed that a nuclear power plant would pose a serious threat to the health.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday opposed the proposed setting up of a nuclear power plant in Odisha, alleging that the BJP government was putting public safety at risk to benefit private companies. The party also warned of a statewide agitation if the project moved forward.The criticism came days after a representative of a private company met Odisha deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo, who also holds the state’s energy portfolio. According to the BJD, the company has proposed establishing a 3,000 MW nuclear power plant in Odisha.Addressing a press conference, BJD senior general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar claimed that a nuclear power plant would pose a serious threat to the health and safety of people living in the state.She accused the BJP’s “double-engine government” of ignoring public welfare in favour of corporate interests.”Whenever the subject of nuclear or atomic energy arises, it naturally creates fear in people’s minds. In 1945, the nuclear bombings reduced the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to ruins. In 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant suffered a catastrophic explosion, and in 2011, a similar disaster occurred at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant,” she said. Samantsinghar added that the consequences of those disasters were still being felt and argued that nuclear power carries significant risks to human life.She further claimed that nuclear energy has traditionally remained under government control in most countries because of its strategic importance. However, she alleged that the BJP government was now changing that approach by opening the sector to private companies.”However, under the BJP government, this long-standing principle is being altered by transferring nuclear energy into the hands of private companies. For its own interests, the BJP government is showing complete disregard for the lives and safety of the people of Odisha,” she alleged.The BJD leader also questioned the Centre’s decision to amend rules governing the nuclear sector. She claimed that Parliament passed legislation in December 2025 allowing greater private participation, following which private companies began exploring projects in Odisha.According to Samantsinghar, India currently has about 8.8 GW of government-owned nuclear power capacity, and increasing it to 100 GW by involving private players would be unsafe. She argued that sectors linked to national security should remain under government control.

The opposition party also alleged that the Odisha government was acting on directions from the Centre rather than taking independent decisions.”Since the formation of the BJP government in Odisha, the state government has been functioning under the directions of the Centre and is unable to take any independent decisions without instructions from Delhi. Acting on the directions of the central government, the state is determined to establish a nuclear power plant in Odisha by compromising the interests of the people,” she alleged.The BJD urged the state government to abandon the proposal, warning that it would launch a mass movement if the project went ahead.”Otherwise, the Biju Janata Dal would launch a mass agitation to safeguard the interests of the people of the State,” she told reporters. The Odisha government had not responded to the allegations at the time of filing the report.