Public hearing disrupted for Hindalco's capacity expansion plan

In a setback to the capacity expansion plan of Hindalco Industries Limited, the public hearing held for the purpose was disrupted when irate locals opposed the plan, disrupting the proceedings and forcing the authorities to cancel the hearing.

The public hearing was held at Khinda, near Sambalpur to elicit local support for the capacity expansion plan of Hindalco Industries, an Aditya Birla Group firm.

"The public hearing for the capacity expansion plan of Hindalco Industries as a group of misguided locals who attended the hearing opposed the plan. The public hearing is likely to be conducted again next week”, said Hemanta Das, district collector of Sambalpur.

The capacity expansion plan of Hindalco Industries had got the nod of the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) during its 13th meeting held on August 10.

Hindalco Industries, also got the go-ahead for ramping up the capacity of its aluminium smelter plant at Hirakud from 0.146 mtpa at present to 0.36 mtpa and that of its Captive Power Plant (CPP) from 367.5 MW to 967.5 MW.