Idco to speed up land buying for Lanco Power's ash corridor

The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco), the state’s nodal land acquisition agency, has decided to speed up the process of taking over 417 acres of private land in 15 villages in Dhenkanal district for ash pipe corridor to be set up by Lanco Babandh Power.

Lanco Babandh is setting up 1320-Mw coal-fired power project at Khadagprasad in Dhenkanal district. The project has been listed among the large projects in infrastructure and manufacturing sectors by the project monitoring group (PMG) of Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI).

At the last CCI-PMG meeting, it was decided that the Dhenkanal collector would furnish draft 6 (1) estimate to Idco in order to avoid invalidation of the 4 (1) proposal under Land Acquisition Act. Notification under Section 4 (1) of the Act has been issued in respect of private land.

It may be noted that Idco is acquiring 381.09 acres private land in Janhamunda and Sanamunda villages and the balance 35.03 acres in 13 villages under Hindola and Odapada tehsils in Dhenkanal district. The land is being acquired for the ash pond and ash pipe corridor for the Lanco project.

“In view of the impending invalidation of the land acquisition proposals in respect of the 15 villages, I would request you to take immediate steps to furnish the respective draft 6 (1) estimates and draft declaration documents to Idco so that further course of action for sanction of estimates can be taken at this end,” Idco Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Vishal Dev said in a letter to Dhenkanal collector Roopa Roshan Sahoo.

The ash generated from the thermal power plant is proposed to be disposed of in the form of high concentration slurry through the ash pipe corridor. The pipeline would pass through 15 villages to reach the proposed ash pond at Janhamunda and Sanamunda villages under Odapada tehsil.

Lanco Babandh has intimated to Idco the ash pipeline would intersect rural roads in eight villages for which they need permission of the state government.

The proponent has already invested more than Rs 4000 crore on the proposed power project.