Sompeta power plant stalled

Sompeta power plant stalled
x
Highlights

In a major decision, the Andhra Pradesh cabinet on Saturday decided to withdraw the controversial GO 1107 allocating 973 acres of land to the Nagarjuna Construction Company to establish 1320 mw thermal power plant at Sompeta in Srikakulam district.

Vijayawada: In a major decision, the Andhra Pradesh cabinet on Saturday decided to withdraw the controversial GO 1107 allocating 973 acres of land to the Nagarjuna Construction Company to establish 1320 mw thermal power plant at Sompeta in Srikakulam district.


Announcing this after the Cabinet meeting, Labour Minister K Atchannaidu appealed to the people of Sompeta, who have been protesting against the setting up of the plant for the past five years, to call off the agitation which had seen many a violent incidents. In 2010 four persons were killed when police opened fire on the agitators.


The minister said the government would set up multi products industry that would help the local people get employment opportunities. It may be mentioned here that the thermal power project was planned by Hyderabad-based infrastructure major, NCC. The NCC was planning to set up the project at Sompeta with a first phase capacity of about 1,320 MW through an outlay of about Rs 8,000 crore.


This was strongly opposed by the local people on the grounds that it would adversely affect the environment.The Congress under the leadership of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had supported the setting up of the project. Dharmana Prasad Rao, a senior Congress leader and former minister from Srikakulam at that time said the government would go ahead with its plans to bring more thermal projects to the area.


He had then branded all those people who opposed it as antidevelopment. As a follow-up of the events, the environment clearances given to the project were put on hold and the issue was referred to the National Green Tribunal. In 2011, the Andhra Pradesh High Court suspended an order issued by the government allotting 394 hectares of wetlands for a thermal power plant near Sompeta. In 2012, the National Green Tribunal suspended the environmental clearance for the power plant.


In its order on May 23, 2012, the tribunal said the public hearing of the power plant was not done in the appropriate manner. It asked for the public hearing to be held again. However, the agitation continued and people had raised objection over the government’s decision for allotting 394 hectares of fertile lands for the project showing it as wasteland. The TDP during its election campaign last year and also during the padayatra by its president N Chandrababu Naidu had assured that they would withdraw the GO.

Show Full Article
Print Article
Next Story
More Stories
ADVERTISEMENT