SP promise derails power project

An exasperated Ambedkar Nagar District Magistrate Pinki Jowel said she will mention in her report that NTPC should scrap its projects planned for the district.

The SP in its election manifesto had mentioned that farmers’ land — which gives two crops — will not be acquired for infrastructural and industrial purpose. If it is done under special circumstances,the farmers will be paid six times the circle rate.

Jowel,however,said no such order has been received from the state government.

“Despite a much lucrative offer,farmers are not coming forward. I will submit a report clearly indicating that the project should be scrapped and NTPC should not consider Ambedkar Nagar for its future projects,” said the DM.

The NTPC at Tanda,Ambedkar Nagar,already has a 440 MW thermal power station. In 2010,its extension to set up two units of 660 MW were conceived. A total of 808 hectares of land spanning nine villages is required for the project. The final notification was issued on August 18,2010 with a two-year time for land acquisition. The deadline,thus,expires on August 18,2012,failing which the whole process will have to be started afresh.

“If the land is not transferred immediately,then it will take minimum two more years for the project to take off. It will result in escalation of the cost of the project,” said PRO,NTPC,Sahdev Sethi over the phone.

The present cost of the project is Rs 7,500 crore with nearly Rs 300 crore on compensation and relief and rehabilitation. Jowel said “the NTPC is offering the best compensation and Relief and Rehabilitation package”.

The corporation has agreed to pay Rs 56 lakh per hectare to farmers as compensation. Still,only 463 farmers out of a total 1,447 have signed the agreement.

Besides other sops,the NTPC has also assured that children of all BPL families will study free in the corporation’s school. It has also agreed to provide 63 per cent of the power produced to the state with a 24-hour supply to Ambedkar Nagar. It has said it will also provide houses on highways to farmers whose houses will be acquired.