Continuing their protest for the second day, migrant labourers at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Projects — mainly engaged in construction of reactors 3 and 4 — on Monday demanded that they be sent back to their hometowns immediately.
The 5,000-odd north Indian labourers, put up in sheds on the sprawling KKNPP premises by their contractors, struck work on May 9.
The protestors said the contractors and KKNPP, through the State government, should ensure operation of special trains to their States to send them back to their hometowns. They were not even being allowed to leave the premises now.
Koodankulam inspector Jegatha and a constable, Sakthivel, sustained injuries when a section of the protestors pelted stones on police personnel entering the premises on Monday. A case of rioting and injuring police was registered against 32 workers and a strong posse of policemen deployed on KKNPP premises.
During the talks held with protestors on Saturday last, Sub-Collector of Cheranmahadevi Pratik Tayal assured them that their journey to their hometowns would be finalised within a week after discussing the modalities with the State Nodal Officer designated for the purpose. However, the workers continued to abstain from construction work.
On Monday morning, around 100 of them tried to leave the premises with their luggage only to be sent back to their sheds by police.
A senior KKNPP official said the workers were assured that they would be tested within three or four days and sent back to their hometowns at the earliest. However, they did not report for work and any delay in construction would cause significant loss to KKNNP.