Karnataka - Mangalore   

Samiti reiterates opposition to thermal power plant in Udupi

Staff Correspondent

`It poses direct threat to safety of aircraft operations at Bajpe airport'

MANGALORE: The Nagarjuna Virodhi Horatta Samiti while expressing its resolve to hold peaceful agitations against efforts to set up a thermal power plant in Udupi district has expressed faith in the judiciary to provide relief to people of the coastal districts opposing the project.

The samiti will also shortly meet heads of companies and public undertakings that will be directly affected by the project. Executive committee president of the samiti Vijay Kumar Hegde told presspersons here on Tuesday the proposed project posed direct threat to the safety of aircraft operations at Bajpe airport near here. Noting that the air distance from the site of the proposed plant to the airport was a 23 kilometre, he said the fly ash, which the plant was expected to discharge, would endanger flight operations especially at night.

Coal for the proposed plant stored on the premises of New Mangalore Port would also pose a threat to Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. unit at Kuthethur near here, he said. Coal particles tend to disperse aerially to distances of up to 10 kilometres and could emit sparks due to friction in extremely hot conditions, Mr. Hegde said. The thermal plant was expected to utilise 12,000 tonnes of coal each day.

This would necessitate the port authorities to store lakhs of tonnes of coal on its premises as buffer stock. Referring to the assertion of the Government that the power project was essential to meet the power requirements of the State, he said this was totally false. The total availability of power in the State was 7,735 MW against its requirement of 6,300 MW, he said. The power situation could be met comfortably if the power utilities reduced their respective transmission and distribution losses and curbed theft, he added.

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