Coal, Power Min seek Cabinet help to resolve NTPC issue

Unable to amicably resolve the dispute over the location of NTPC's proposed 1,980-Mw project in Jharkhand, the coal and power ministries today decided to refer the matter to the Cabinet.

"Both Coal and Power ministries met today and took a decision to bring the North Karanpura thermal power project to the Cabinet," a source close to the development told PTI.

The Coal Ministry has been pressing for relocation of the project, arguing that the proposed site is situated above an estimated 6 billion tonnes of coal reserves.

Today's meet was attended by Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal and secretaries of both the ministries among others.

"Since the matter involves national issue of saving coal, so it was decided in the meeting to bring the matter to the Cabinet," the source added.

Over the last six months, both the ministers have met thrice on the issue, but no agreement has been reached so far.

Both the ministers also met last month to take a call on the proposed project which has been hanging fire for almost a decade due to a controversy over its location.

NTPC's North Karanpura project -- situated in  Chatra district of Jharkhand -- was supposed to be implemented during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-12). However, subsequently it got entangled in a dispute between the coal and the power ministries over its location and has been stalled ever since.

The Coal Ministry reportedly wants the plant to be set up at another site in Jharkhand.

The foundation stone for the Rs 8,000-crore project was laid in September, 2001 at Chatra. However, no work has taken place on the ground ever since.