The State government on Monday claimed that the farmers who have been staging an agitation against setting up of 4,000 MW thermal power plant at Kudgi in Vijayapura district by the National Thermal Power Corporation had assured it of withdrawing their stir.
Such a statement was made by Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar after a meeting held by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with farmers to allay their fears that the proposed power plant may have an adverse impact on their health, ecology and farming.
However, farmers told the media that they were yet to take a decision on dropping their agitation. Mr. Shivakumar said the government had agreed to meet a panel of experts, suggested by farmers, to discuss the safety issue. A team of farmers would be taken to different States where the NTPC had implemented such projects.
He said the government had assured them of considering their demand for supplying more hours of power to the area to reciprocate their gesture of giving land to the power project and convince NTPC to provide employment to local people.
