Raichur: The District Civic Forum strongly opposed the Union govt’s move to explore the establishment of a nuclear power plant at the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) in Shaktinagar, reiterating its long-standing demand for an AIIMS-level medical institution in the district instead.In a press statement issued on Saturday, forum leader Basavaraj Kalasa criticised the Centre’s priorities, stating, “While Raichur is seeking an AIIMS, the Union govt is moving to set up a nuclear power plant at RTPS. While the people of the district ask for medical facilities, the govt is going to give them poison.”The opposition came in the wake of a visit by a three-member technical team from the Atomic Energy Commission, which inspected RTPS premises to assess the feasibility of establishing a nuclear power facility. Sources said the team examined whether parts of the existing infrastructure at RTPS, which spans nearly 1,300 acres, could be adapted for nuclear reactors.Raichur, a drought-prone district, already hosts two major thermal power plants — RTPS and Yaramaras Thermal Power Station (YTPS) — with a combined generation capacity of about 3,320 MW, accounting for nearly half of the state’s electricity supply.Basavaraj Kalasa alleged that officials from the Atomic Energy Commission, who visited the plant, collected information from Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) officials. He expressed concern that a nuclear facility would pose serious health and environmental risks to the district’s residents, particularly due to nuclear waste.“The Union govt has ignored our long struggle to establish AIIMS in backward Raichur but is now planning a nuclear plant that will endanger people’s lives,” he said, demanding that the proposal be dropped.S Mareppa, an activist, alleged that RTPS officials convened meetings of workers in phases and misled them by claiming that a solar power project was being planned, while extending cooperation to the central team.Earlier, experts from the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) shortlisted sites in Halakavatagi (Lingasugur taluk) and Karadigudda village (Manvi taluk), as well as locations in Vijayapura and Koppal districts, for nuclear projects. However, those proposals were not approved by the state govt.A senior KPCL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was currently no proposal before the state govt to establish or permit a nuclear power plant at RTPS, adding that similar feasibility studies were being conducted at thermal power stations across the country.With the citizens of Raichur opposing the nuclear power plant, their support for the establishment of AIIMS has gained traction.