ROURKELA: Authorities of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) are in a fix with people who would be displaced by its proposed power project insisting on fulfilment of their demands before letting the company go ahead with the project.
The company plans to set up a 3200 Mega Watt (MW) plant here.
The public hearing for assessment of environment impact for NTPC’s Darlipali Super Thermal Power Plant (DSTPP), organised at Darlipali village last week, had to be called off midway when villagers protested. They said no such meeting would be allowed before their 11 demands were conceded.
ITDA Project Administrator, Sundargarh, A Behera said the meeting had to be cancelled after villagers pressed for settlement of some contentious issues which were beyond the purview of Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB). Behera was deputed to preside over the public hearing.
Among other things, villagers have been demanding ` 40 lakh for per acre of land acquired, treating dwellers of homestead and forest land as displaced persons, earmarking land for 198 landless families who are yet to get possession of land despite getting land pattas in 1998 and employment to all job-seekers of the affected villages. While the villagers are in favour of the project, they want their grievances be heard first.
Sources said the proposed NTPC project envisages four power generation units, each with a capacity of 800 MW. The project involves the DSTPP at Darlipali and Dulanga Coal Mining Project (DCMP) at Dulanga with an investment of ` 20,000 crore. It would displace 526 families.
The first unit was initially planned to be commissioned by 2013, but due to the continuing protests by villagers cost and time overrun is apprehended.
NTPC (DSTPP) General Manager S K Reddy hoped the administration would sort out the problems of the villagers soon.