The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Involve experts in power projects: environmentalists

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 20, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Involve experts in power projects: environmentalists

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: Environmentalists have urged the Government, which has assured the State of doubling its power generation in five years, to involve experts and scientists in the process of planning and implementation of power projects.

Leo Saldanha of the Bangalore-based non-governmental organisation Environment Support Group, told The Hindu here on Wednesday that environmentalists would soon meet Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to convince him of the need to involve experts in the formulation of power projects.

Such an involvement of scientists would go a long way in ensuring transparency.

He said the environmentalists were planning to meet the Chief Minister to persuade him to shelve the plan to set up a 1,000 MW thermal power plant at Chamalapura near Mysore.

‘Drop project’

Earlier, addressing presspersons Mr. Saldanha demanded that Mr. Yeddyurappa should shelve the Chamalapura project in the wake of the State power regulator observing that bidding norms had been violated.

Reassurance

Shelving the project would send a strong signal to farmers that the Government was sensitive to their demands and keen to support agricultural activities. Besides, it would indicate that the Government was sensitive to environmental and social concerns, he added. The State power regulator, which held a public hearing on the Chamalapura project, had advised the Government to examine the project proposal afresh in the wake of objections raised by consumer groups.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka