The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Cancel permission given to thermal project, says K. Balagopal

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Sunday, Aug 17, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Cancel permission given to thermal project, says K. Balagopal

G. Ravikiran

Have residents been taken into confidence, says the Human Rights Forum

Project comes under CRZ I, he says
Demands postponement of public hearing

— Photo: Ch Vijaya Bhaskar

eco concerns: The team of environmental and human rights activists led by K. Balagopal visiting mangroves in a boat in Gunderu drain in Polatithippa on Saturday.

POLATITHIPPA (Krishna district): Environmental and human rights activists led by Human Rights Forum State general secretary K. Balagopal visited the site of the proposed thermal project here on Saturday and demanded that the Government cancel the permission given to Thermal Powertech Corporation (India) Limited (TPCIL) in the interest of thousands of local people.

Mr. Balagopal and others interacted with the sarpanch of Polatithippa and other residents to know whether the local people were taken into confidence before the Government allotted land in their village limits to the power plant.

Stating that such a project would make the lives of local people “miserable”, Mr. Balagopal demanded that the administration “indefinitely postpone” the proposed public hearing here on August 28, which was being organised to elicit the views of local villagers on the thermal project. He said that the administration had not provided to villagers proper information on the thermal project and the allotment of land.

‘Illegal’

Mr. Balagopal categorically said that the permission given to the TPCIL for setting up thermal project was “illegal”, because the site fell under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)- I limits as per the CRZ notification, 1991. He pointed out that the eco-system in CRZ-I would be extremely fragile, and, therefore, needed all possible safeguards for the protection of coastal environment.

Stressing the importance of coastal eco-systems, Mr. Balagopal said that in the environmental studies made for the TPCIL project, there was no reference to presence of mangroves in the land allotted for it.

“That is no cause for giving permission to thermal project. Even if there are no mangroves, its permission should be cancelled, as it falls in CRZ-I limits,” he asserted.

HRF State secretary V.S. Krishna, district secretary K. Sudha, environmental expert Babu Rao, Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee State joint secretary P. Srinivas, district secretary M. Venkatesulu and others were present.

When Mr. Balagopal asked Polatithippa sarpanch Lanke Edukondalu whether there were mangroves in the land allotted to the thermal project, the latter could not state clearly but said that there were mangroves in the 3,350 acres of banjar land, in which 1,200 acres had been allotted to the thermal project.

Mr. Balagopal advised villagers to gather all details from officials about the disposal of ash and use of water for thermal project, as it would affect their lives very badly in future.

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