Kalpakkam
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| Kalpakkam | |
| — township — | |
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| Coordinates | 12°33′27″N 80°10′31″E / 12.557563°N 80.175406°ECoordinates: 12°33′27″N 80°10′31″E / 12.557563°N 80.175406°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District(s) | Kancheepuram |
| Parliamentary constituency | Kancheepuram |
| Assembly constituency | Cheyyur |
| Population | ~20,000+ (2002[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Website | www.kalpakkam.com |
Kalpakkam is a small town in Tamil Nadu, India, situated on the Coromandel Coast 70 kilometres south of Chennai. A conglomerate of two villages (puduppattinam and sadurangappatinam)and a DAE township, it is about 55 km from Thiruvanmiyur.
Kalpakkam is mostly famous for its nuclear plants and affiliated research installations. These include the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), one of India's nuclear power plants, and IGCAR, the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, an affiliate of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
Due to increasing congestion in Kalpakkam arising from the need to accommodate more employees, a new township of Anupuram/Amaipakkam, 8 km from Kalpakkam, was inaugurated in 1998.
The tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake generated widespread damage and resulted in 200 deaths at Kalpakkam. There is a tsunami memorial.
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[edit] Facilities
Kalpakkam is a well built and planned township. The schools present in the township are Atomic Energy Central School (AECS 1,2&3), Kendriya Vidyalaya-1, Kendriya Vidyalaya-2, Govt Hr. Secondary School and Infant Jesus Matric Hr. Sec. School on Pudupattinam. The township is split into two sides: Sadras and Pudupattinam side. Often there is a healthy rivalry in sports and in other activities between the two sides, especially since Kendriya Vidyalaya-1 is on the Pudupattinam side and Kendriya Vidyalaya-2 on the Sadras side. Both sides have similar facilities, but with Pudupattinam having more complete and bigger facilities, such as the hospital and the General Services Organization (GSO). The two sides are separated by a bridge over the canal which joins the sea nearby and well over the backwater with thousands of jelly fish moving underneath. One can easily notice them glaring beautifully in the sunshine. Also, the backwater is a visiting place by many migratory birds especially the rare seen siberian crane in peak winter. The glorifying beauty of the backwater can be clearly seen through the compound walls of K.V-2 sadras.
[edit] Nuclear facilities
IGCAR, while being a multifaceted research installation, is famous for the fast breeder test reactor FBTR, India's first breeder reactor. It has another reactor named KAMINI, which is the only reactor in the world to use uranium-233 type fuel, which is converted from thorium-232. Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) is a wholly owned Enterprise of the Government of India under the administrative control of the Department of atomic Energy (DAE). The 500MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is planned to be the first of a family of fast breeder power reactors which would provide energy security to India. The PFBR is being built with technology developed at the Indira Gandhi Center for atomic research (IGCAR), also located at Kalpakkam, and was expected to go on stream by 2010.
The Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) is situated in Kalpakkam which has twin units of capacity 220 MWe each. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Facilities) or in short BARC (F) is also situated in the kalpakkam campus. The Safety Research Institute (SRI) of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) is also located inside the IGCAR campus.
Kalpakkam was in the news and a cause of concern when it was initially reported that Madras Atomic Power Station has been damaged by the 2004 tsunami. However, it was successfully shut down without incident. Power production has since resumed at MAPS.
[edit] Recreation
Until a few years ago, the beach at Kalpakkam used to be lined with casuarina trees and only a few weeds. But in recent times,to avoid the wide spread damage being caused by a tsunami again weed growth is starting to dominate, which the local population is fighting to keep in check.Also, tsunami wall is built across the sea shore to decrease the force of the waves in a tsunami struck again. The relatively calm and musical waters are free of sharks.One can also clearly see the shore from the windows of Kendriya Vidyalaya no.2 & 1 as well as AECS 1 & 2.
Kalpakkam is also very close to Mamallapuram – one of the famous tourist destinations near Chennai. It is a relaxing spot with quiet beaches and a serene atmosphere. The environment within the township has been well maintained for over 30 years. There are numerous trees and various parks within the township in which to relax. There are various avenues for recreations, including tennis courts, music, dance, swimming academies and various other sport activities.
[edit] Nesco
Nesco stands for Nuclear employee sports and cultural organisation; previously it was known as KRC (Kalpakkam recreation centre). It is governed by an elected employee council.
Nesco has various facilities for members; for movies, basketball, volleyball, badminton, Carom, Chess, TT, Ring Ball, Kabadi, football, Cricket etc.
[edit] Bus routes
The township is well connected by road and TNSTC operates buses from Chennai, Pondicherry, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Trichy, Tirupathi, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai Chittoor, Tindivanam and Kanchipuram. The East Coast Road connecting Chennai and Pondicherry passes through Pudupattinam.
| Route Number | Start | End | Via |
|---|---|---|---|
| 108 Cut | Kalpakkam | Chengalpattu | Thirukazhukundram |
| 108 | Kalpakkam | Chennai | Chengalpattu, Tambaram |
| 118 | Kalpakkam | Chennai | Mahabalipuram, East Coast Road |
| 119 | Kalpakkam | Chennai | Mahabalipuram, Old Mahabalipuram Road |
| 157 Cut | Kalpakkam | Kanchipuram | Chengalpattu |
| 157 | Kalpakkam | Vellore | Kanchipuram |
| 164 C | Kalpakkam | Chittoor | Kanchipuram, Arakonam |
| 188 (ECR) | Chennai | Pondicherry | Mahabalipuram, Kalpakkam |
| 188 C | Chennai | Cheyyur | Mahabalipuram, Kalpakkam |
| 188 D | Chennai | Anaicut | Mahabalipuram, Kalpakkam |
| 188 K | Chennai | Kadapakkam | Mahabalipuram, Kalpakkam |
| 212 H | Kalpakkam | Tirupathi | Kanchipuram, Arakonam, Thiruthani |
| EXP | Kalpakkam | Trichy | Chengalpattu, Tindivanam, Villupuram |
| 471 UD | Kalpakkam | Coimbatore | Chengalpattu, Tindivanam, Salem |
| 834 UD / 444K EXP | Kalpakkam | Bangalore | Kanchipuram, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Hosur |
[edit] Competitive Quiz Contests
Kalpakkam is renowned in India for a number of competitive school-level quiz contests such as the Brahm Prakash Memorial Materials Quiz.
[edit] External links
- http://www.kalpakkam.com/
- http://www.igcar.gov.in
- Will the Kalpakkam Nuclear Establishment & the Indian Atomic Energy Commission Learn its Lessons from the December 26 Tsunami? - An Indepth Critique
- Kendriya Vidyalaya-1
- Kendriya Vidyalaya-2
- Infant Jesus Matric Hr. Sec. School http://www.infantjesusmatric.org
