No undue favour to Sravanthi, says Uttarakhand

The Uttarakhand government today said it gave no undue benefit to Sravanthi Energy Pvt Ltd, a Gurgoan-based company, for setting up a 225-Mw gas-based power plant in Kashipur as being alleged by the opposition.

“We followed only the existing rules and norms as far as the Sravanthi case is concerned,” said Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar. Leader of the opposition Harak Singh Rawat had yesterday claimed the state government notified 46.7 acres of land at Kashipur area for industrial purpose for setting up the Sravanthi plant when the environmental clearance was only for 30 acres and lost the right of 12.5 per cent of free royalty from the proposed project as it was not sanctioned by the power department.

In this regard, Kumar clarified that the government notified 37 acres of land for industrial use of the company under the existing norms of industrial estates where such permission can be granted in case the land is more than 30 acres. Under the central Electricity Act 2003, there is no provision for getting 12 per cent free royalty in gas-based power plants, Kumar emphasised. Kumar also claimed, there is no separate gas quota for Uttarakhand and the company had made its own arrangements for procuring gas from GAIL.