CM asks Centre to address concerns of project affected people

Taking up the grievances of the people of Lakhanpur block in Odisha's Jharsuguda district against the NTPC's proposed super thermal power plant at Lara in Chhattishgarh, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today asked the centre to address the concerns of the project affected residents.
"I request you to direct the NTPC authorities to address the genuine concerns of the project affected people of our state," Patnaik wrote to Union Power and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal.
Stating that NTPC has been setting up a 1600 (2X800) MW Super Thermal Power Project at Lara in Chhattishgarh which is about two kilometer from the border of Odisha, Patnaik pointed out that Kendeikela, Remata, Kanakatara, Chandpali, Pithinda and Badimal gram panchayat of Lakhanpur block in Jharsuguda district will be adversely affected by the smoke, dust and green house gases.

"Of these 27 villages, six villages are likely to be severely affected," Patnaik said in the letter adding that public hearing regarding the environment impact assessment has been done in the villages to be affected by this project in Chhattishgarh, but no such exercise was undertaken in the villages to be affected in Odisha.
It is also learnt that CSR activities in the nine villages in Chhattishgarh have been started by the NTPC, Patnaik said in the letter.
"There will be serious impact on the environment, livelihood and health condition of the people in these 27 villages of Odisha when the project is commissioned," Patnaik said adding that this issue has been agitated by the local people and the MLA of Brajrajnagar.

Patnaik sought Goyal's intervention in the issue in a bid to give justice to the residents of the 27 villages on Odisha side.