House committee constituted for Sindol project

Project not to be taken up without public consent, says minister.

A house committee of the state legislative assembly has been constituted to take stock of the ground realities of the controversial 320 MW Sindol hydro power project that has triggered widespread protest among the project affected people and cornered the ruling BJD government.

The formation of the committee follows a directive of the Speaker of the state assembly after the house witnessed a stormy adjournment session on the issue with the Opposition Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan demanding scrapping of the MoU signed with National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) on the project.

 

Status quo will be maintained on the project till the committee visits the project affected areas and submits its report.

Meanwhile the state energy minister Atanu Sabsysachi Nayak said the state government will conduct public hearing for the Sindol project and there is no question of going ahead with the project without the consent of the project affected people.

The minister said, attractive compensation package will be offered to the people displaced by the project.

The Opposition MLAs today upped the ante on the government over the Sindol project, making a vociferous demand to scrap the project in the interest of the people of western Orissa.

"It is our demand that the MoU for the Sindol project be scrapped and the project be kept in moratorium. Let the state government come out with a complete detailed project report (DPR) on the project. The state government should clarify on whose interest the project is taken up when the affected people are stiffly opposing it,” said Harichandan.

The Congress MLA questioned the timing of conducting public hearing for the project stating that the public hearing needs to be conducted after preparation of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). The EIA for the project is yet to be prepared.

Harichandan also questioned the state government's rationale in signing MoUs with 30 Independent Power Producers for thermal power plants with an envisaged capacity of 37,500 MW if its focus was on green energy generation.

Stating that the Sindol hydro power project will affect 43461 people belonging to 798 families in 60 villages, Congress MLA Naba Kishore Das said the implementation of the project will deal a big blow to the interest of people of western Orissa.

NHPC Ltd (formerly National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) and the Orissa government owned Orissa Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) had recently signed an MoU to jointly implement three hydel power projects in the state at an estimated cost of Rs 2,600 crore.

The three hydel power projects- Sindol-I (100 MW), Sindol-II (100 MW) and Sindol-III (120 MW) having a total capacity of 320 MW are expected to be commissioned in 4-5 years. All the three hydel power projects will come up on Mahanadi river.

NHPC and OHPC were to form a joint venture for the project wherein NHPC will hold 51 per cent while the balance 49 per cent stake will be held by the state PSU.