The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd today said the West Bengal government has asked it to avoid visiting the proposed nuclear power plant site at Haripur in East Midnapore district before the state Assembly elections next year.
"We have been asked by the West Bengal government to avoid going to the site till assembly elections are over," NPCIL Chairman and Managing Director S K Jain told newsmen on the sidelines of a technical meeting on 'Power Scenario in West Bengal - Role of Nuclear Power.'
The Centre's proposal to set up the 10,000 MW nuclear power plant at Haripur had the locals up in arms, as they claimed the project would displace a large number of people, mostly farmers and fishermen, and hamper their livelihood.
Stating that it was NPCIL's policy to set up nuclear power plants on the basis of consent from locals, he made it clear, however, that the NPCIL would not proceed with the project if the locals did not want it.
Jain said he had dropped earlier plans to visit Haripur to talk to the locals as the West Bengal government insisted on providing police escort. "We did not want to be accompanied by men in uniform."
Haripur is among five nuclear plants proposed to be set up in the country with Russian collaboration. The Environment and Forest ministry gave clearance for the Haripur project in January this year.
According to Jain, NPCIL has already overcome land acquisition problems for its Haryana project by taking the local sarpanch and landowners on the rehabilitation package. Similar talks were also on for the projects at Kovadda in Andhra Pradesh and Mithi Virdi in Gujarat.
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"We have no problem in giving the landowners ownership in the nuclear plants. In fact, we are also open to taking the land on lease after paying an initial lump sum," he said.
Landowners, however, were preferring to wait till the Centre announced a new land acquisition policy, Jain said.