Hours after the West Bengal government announced that Maharatna major NTPC has bowed to its policy on land acquisition and decided to set up Rs 9,600-crore Katwa project in 556 acres, the company’s chairman denied the claim saying it as “impossible”.
Early on the day, West Bengal Power minister Manish Gupta had announced in the state assembly that NTPC was ready to set up the power plant in 556 acres, compared to 1,030 acres earlier. Last month, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal had even denied the request of the power major to acquire land for them, forcing the firm to reconsider its shelved plan of purchasing land directly for the 1,600 mega watt (2 X 800 MW) project for the first time.
“If you are talking about a 500 MW plant, it is possible. We need atleast 0.7 acres on an average with atleast 1000 acres of land for a 1600 MW project. Otherwise, where will we dispose the ash. As off now, we have asked the state government to help in acquiring atleast 250 acres of additional land,” said Arup Roy Choudhury, Chairman and Managing Director, NTPC.
Choudhury added that the project is possible in 556 acres only if the firm depends completely on imported coal. “We need more land as Indian coal has 50 per cent ash content.
While the state government claimed that the power major will set up plant in 556 acres, sources even said that the firm may go for technical restructuring of the project. Sources even claimed that the firm’s engineering team has given the green signal for setting up the project in a squeezed land, while it would need only an additional 12 acres of land now for railways siding and water treatment.
West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) had acquired 556 acres during the Left regime. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to stay away from land acquisition for industrial projects prompted NTPC to buy remaining land directly for the proposed thermal power project at Katwa in Burdwan.
The company failed to directly purchase the land without government intervention.
