Ganjam villagers oppose nuclear power plant plan

Even though the Orissa government is yet to give its consent to the public sector Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) for setting up its proposed mega plant at Patisonapur in Orissa's Ganjam district, the people of the area have started raising their voice against the project.

Several people from Patisonapur on Saturday came on to the street to oppose the project fearing large scale displacement. "We will not allow the project by vacating our land," said some villagers at a convention organised to oppose the displacement and special economic zone Act.

The convention was organised jointly by Lok Sangram Manch, an organisation working for the tribals and All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS) here.

People from several places including Kalinga Nagar, Kashipur, Chheligada, Gopalpur, Lower Suktel and Patisonapur participated in the convention and voiced their opposition to steel plant and SEZ by Tata, aluminum plant by Utkal Aluminum Company, irrigation projects by the state government and nuclear power plant by the NPCIL in their respective areas. "These projects should not be established by displacing large number of people," said G Dibakar, the general secretary of AIKMS.

The convention demanded for abolition of the Land Acquisition Act 1894 and special economic zone Act 2005. "We are opposed to these two Acts as they facilitate forcible acquisition of land by the government," said Bhala Chandra Sarangi, the central committee member of the AIKMS.

Several speakers feared that area around Patisonapur would be polluted by the radiation if the proposed nuclear power plant comes up there. They urged the Ministry of Environment and Forest not to give it environment clearance. The state government has clarified that the state is yet to give its consent for the project. "We are yet to give our consent to the PSU for establishment of the mega nuclear power plant at Patisonapur in Ganjam district," said state's energy minister SN Patra. The state government would examine all aspects like environment, displacement and land acquisition, he told Business Standard.

The NPCIL earlier had evinced interest to set up a 12000-Mw-shore-based nuclear power plant at Patisonapur and conveyed their willingness to the state government.

Recently, the nuclear power corporation had announced its plan to augment its capacity from the existing 3,900 Mw to 20,000 Mw by 2020. So, it was exploring the possibilities of a new plant in either Orissa or West Bengal and had chosen Patisonapur in the end after villagers at Junput in West Bengal refused to allow the plant to be set up there.

The survey work for the plant, estimated Rs 36,000 crore in three phases, has begun in the area, located about 20 km from here. The survey is being carried out by the NPCIL and the state-owned Orissa Hydro Power Corporation (OHPCL).

The corporation intends to set up six units in three to four phases and the entire project would be completed in 10 to 15 years. The estimated expenditure of each phase will be around Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 crore.

Accordingly, the nuclear power corporation was exploring the possibilities of a new plant in either Orissa or West Bengal and had chosen Patisonapur in the end after villagers at Junput in West Bengal refused to allow the plant to be set up there.