PADUBIDRI: In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that the Lanco Company
of the Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (erstwhileNagarjuna) has written to the Union
Government seeking permission to generate an additional 1300 mw of power at the
same place where it has presently set up a 1200 mw plant at Ellur despite stiff opposition
from locals.
According to Balakrishna Shetty, Working President of the Nandikur Jana Jagrithi
Samithi, the company which had initially secured permission for two plants of 600
mw capacity each, has now once again applied to the Union Ministry of Forests and
Environment and the authorities concerned to set up two more units of 660 mw each.
This application of the company is expected to come up before the EAC which is
scheduled to meet at Mumbai on July 8.The company which had initially secured
permission to generate 101 mw of power, is now claiming to have secured permission to
generate 1200 mw of electricity. Shetty says the present generation capacity of this plant
was 2520 mw and the company was trying to get a green signal for additional power
generation, in a hush hush manner.
In case the government concedes to the demand, then there remains no doubt that the
company would convert the district into a waste bin for fly ash, resulting in grave
environmental and health consequences. According to one estimate, 25 million tonnes
of fly ash would be collected following the burning of huge quantity of coal for power
generation.
While stating that his committee had filed a PIL in the High court way back in the year
2005 against the setting up of the project, Shetty said sadly until now the PIL has not
come up for hearing even once.
Shetty also said that he has already written to the EAC President VP Raja ad other
members not to grant permission for the expansion of the Udupi Power project.
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