Mamata assures support for Katwa, Raghunathpur power plants

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today assured the Centre of all help in the setting up of Katwa and Raghunathpur thermal power plants in the state.
"The state government is willing to extend all help and cooperation. We want to see our industry, state and country to grow," Banerjee said here today at the inauguration of Coal India Ltd's new corporate office at Rajarhat.
She said discussion was held about Katwa thermal power plant and Raghunathpur thermal power plant with Union Minister of State for Coal, Power and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal.
"For Katwa, we have given 156 acres free to NTPC for the project, 100 acres to ECL. For Raghunathpur power plant, we will give vested land to DVC," she said.

She indicated that most of the hurdles had already been overcome and the remaining few would be sorted out shortly.
"Whatever I want to say I say clearly. I do not want any hurdle, work should go on," Banerjee said addressing Coal India employees.

NTPC was planning to put up a 1320 MW thermal power plant at Katwa after state-owned WBPDCL gave up the project unable to acquire the requisite land.
According to the NTPC, landowners have agreed to offer tha land. In Raghunathpur, DVC was facing land acquisition hurdles for laying water pipline and for second phase of the project.

Goyal said that the Union government was committed to offer 24x7 quality and affordable electricity by 2019 to every home and every farmers for its agricultural needs.
Incidentally, the government has set a target of 1 billion of coal production in the country by 2020.