Kanimozhi writes to PM for rocket launch pad at Kulasekarapattinam

In a letter written to the Prime Minister in this regard, DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi on Saturday said the request to establish the third rocket launch pad was based on the detailed feasibility studies conducted by scientists at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.

Referring to ISRO’s response to her question in the Parliament on the issue on August 19, 2013, Kanimozhi said the space agency had informed the Parliament that an expert committee was constituted to assess the need for a new launch site considering the capabilities of existing launch pads at Sriharikota and future launch requirements of the next decade.

Referring to a letter her deceased party president M Karunanidhi had written to the then Prime Minister in 2013, in which he had claimed that establishing a new launch site in Kulasekarapatinam would create several thousand jobs and drew investment in several lakh crore, Kanimozhi cited the former chief general manager of the Liquid Propulsion Centre as stating that if launch from Kulasekarapatinam, Mangalyan would have carried 1,800 kg instead of 1,350 kg of equipment and said that Kulasekarapatinam’s closeness to the equator, proximity to the liquid propulsion center in Mahendragiri and conducive climate make it the ideal place for setting up India’s next space launch site.

“India’s only space-launch site is currently located in Sriharikota. All the other countries with developed space programs have multiple launch sites. So, it is important that we set up a new launch site to support the existing one at Sriharikota,” she added, urging the PM to set up a second launch site at Kulasekarapatinam village, which had recently passed a resolution to this effect.

Asserting that Prime Minister, who promised a transparent and corruption free government was accountable to the people of the country, the Principal Opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday demanded a full-fledged probe into the suspected Rafale fighter jet deal to find the truth. 

In a tweet, DMK president and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin said former French President Hollande’s interview showed that the Rafale deal was suspected. “PM Modi promised a transparent, corruption free government, but former French President Hollande’s interview shows that the Rafale deal is suspect,” he said.

“The PM is accountable to the people of India. A full-fledged enquiry should be ordered to find the truth. #ModiRafaleLiesExposed,’’ Stalin said.