Yesterday, on 18th September 2013, I visited the plant
office site of NTPC's ultra mega coal fired power plant being constructed
in Chhattishgarh. The project has got green clearance from the MoEF but in an
improper way (which we went to see and I would report on that later) and
without considering the impacts over Mahanadi, forests and people in Odisha.
The plant site office would be inaugurated today(19th Sept)
and hence you see this huge tent. We inquired with the project office people
and if they are correct the tent has been brought from Andhra Pradesh at a cost
of 10 million rupees. Helipads have been constructed for the inaugural at the
cost of 4 million rupees. Flowers for the function, they say, have been bought
at 1 lakh rupees. And there are other costs.
Many farmers are sacrificing their land and are yet to get
compensation; villagers and ecology in Odisha are going to be drastically
impacted negatively and are yet to be consulted; but these so called
'honorable' ministers (the PM's visit was dropped due to security issues we
heard but the Chhatisgarh CM and other ministers from Delhi are coming) are
flying to this remote location at a cost of not less than 20 million rupees I
am sure.
Can we call these people's representatives, who are abusing
millions of public money just to inaugurate a plant site office, honorable? Or
the real honorable people are those farmers and villagers who are going to
sacrifice their lands, homes, farm fields, water and dignity for this so called
'development'?
We seriously need to debate this!
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