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Journalism of Courage
BANGALORE, Feb 21: A Rs 12 crore turnkey project for the resettlement colony of the United States multinational Cogentrix-led joint venture 1000 mw Mangalore Power Company (MPC) has been awarded to a Hubli-based construction company.
In a release here today, the MPC said work on the resettlement colony, to come up near Padubidri, would start once the Karnataka government gave its assent. The contractor, R N Shetty company, had agreed to complete the construction within 12 months and would engage local sub-contractors, the release added.
The construction work of the resettlement colony would mark the start of the Rs 4,000 crore power project which had been bogged down by a series of obstacles, including environmental problems and delays by the union finance ministry in clearing the counter guarantee. The project is one of the eight fast-track projects cleared by the then P V Narasimha Rao government.
The company aimed to set up high standards in the resettlement colony which would have primary andsecondary schools, health centre, veterinary clinic, amphitheatre, sports pavilion and playing fields with floodlight facility, a modern market and continuous water supply. Colony residents would also have free power supply for 30 years.
The release said the colony had been designed by the displaced families themselves. The deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada District constituted a village development advisory committee, which included displaced families and those who lost land besides community leaders, and decided upon the model colony concept.
The power project had been co-sponsored by Cogentrix and China Light and Power International of Hong Kong.
