Expert Appraisal Committee for Environmental Clearance constituted by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) led by C.R. Babu inspected Damarcherla where the Telangana government has decided to set up 4,000 MW Yadadri Thermal Power Plant.
Committee members told The Hindu , their primary concern was whether the construction of power plant would affect the Tungapadu stream which confluences with river Krishna just 2km away from the plant site after flowing through the land acquired for thermal power plant.
Apart from that, the committee members said that they were also looking in to the R&R package being offered by the State Government to the displaced and afforestation to be taken up by State Government to maintain greenery .
Particularly, the Committee members have enquired the Genco officials how they were going to plan the plant design without altering the flow of Tungapadu stream and how they were going to prevent the flow of effluents in to the stream.
Members of the committee, Prof. C.R. Babu, former faculty at Delhi University, T.K. Dhar, retired Executive Director of NTPC, A.K.Bhansal, Additional Director General of Forests, M. Ramesh, Deputy Director at MoEF and others went round the area for about 7km.
They also interacted with the villagers enquiring whether the compensation package being offered by the State government was sufficient for them. The displaced complained that the State Government was offering about Rs. 6 lakh compensation to each acre lost due to the project. They demanded Rs.15 lakh for each acre land. Apart from that, the villagers told the Committee members that the State Government was denying compensation to others excepting Schedule Tribes who have been cultivating the forest lands. They demanded compensation to all those who were cultivating the forest land apart from providing equal compensation and employment to them. However, the displaced informed the visiting committee members that they would welcome the project if the government was ready to provide desired compensation package to them. The TS Genco, Revenue, Forest department officials have guided them through out their visit. Later, the Appraisal Committee have also held a meeting with officials from district.
Telangana government proposes to set up 4,000 MW Yadadri Thermal
Power Plant