Administrative nod for pvt land acquisition for OTPCL project

The 2000 MW coal-fired power plant proposed to be set up by the Orissa Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (OTPCL), a joint venture between Orissa Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) and Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) at Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district has moved a step forward with the state government according administrative approval for acquisition of 982.015 acres of private land at the project site.

The said private land is to be acquired in 10 project affected villages- Aluajharana (19.68 acres), Annapurnapur (447.30 acres), bijadiha (20.81 ares), Bhagirathapur Sasana ({15.2 acres), Dhobabaheli (5.89 acres), Kateni (84.24 acres), Kantapala (45.55 acres), Kusumajodi (244.04 acres), Mahulapala (24.98 acres) and Anlabereni (74.32 acres).

"We have accorded administrative approval for private land for the purpose of 4 (1) notification under Land Acquisition Act. We have asked the chief executive officer of OTPCL to initiate action for allotment of land and to proceed with the work for filing application before the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for allotment of coal block for the project”, a senior official of the state energy department told Business Standard.

The Rs 10,000-crore project needs 1969.78 acres in all which includes 987.77 acres of government land and 83.94 acres of forest land in addition to 982.015 acres of private land.

The project which was originally supposed to be taken up a Rengali had to be relocated to Kamakhyanagar after the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) in Auigust last year had declared the Kaniha coal block falling under the project site as a 'No-Go area'.

The decision to take up the 2000 MW power project was taken up by the state government in June 2006.