SRIKAKULAM: In a major step towards construction of the atomic power plant at Kovvada in the district, the Andhra Pradesh government issued an order (No.1179) on Thursday giving advance possession of land under its control to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
The NPCIL will take possession of 1,473.16 acres from the government and pay for it as per the value fixed by the Revenue Department.
“It is a major step towards the actual construction activity at the proposed site. As it is a government land, there will not be any objection from anyone,” Kovvada Atomic Power Plant Project Director G.V. Ramesh told The Hindu.
Villagers briefed
Mr. Ramesh and other senior officials visited Kotapalem and Maruvada, and explained to the villagers the details of the social impact survey. He told them that the government would give them the best package for extending support for constructing the plant.
The officials plan to visit Kovvada and other villages on Monday and Tuesday as the villagers decided to meet on Sunday.
The villagers have been demanding payment of compensation on a par with the beneficiaries of Bhogapuram, where revenue officials paid up to Rs.33 lakh per acre surrendered for an international airport project.
Preventive arrests
Meanwhile, police resorted to preventive arrest of CPI(M) leaders who were on their way to Kotapalem and Maruvada, triggering protest in Srikakulam and Ranasthalam.
While D. Govinda Rao was taken into custody in Srikakulam, another leader Ch. Ammannaidu was arrested in Patarlapalli.
The party accused the government of suppressing the voice of the villagers and the Opposition parties, and also expressed concern over the conduct of village-level meetings instead of a public hearing as per the norms laid in the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
