Land-losers protest outside YTPS construction site

They alleged that KPCL had not kept its promise of providing a job to each family that had lost its land for the project.

The Yermarus Thermal Power Station project which is coming up on land acquired from farmers.— File Photo: Santosh Sagar

Hundreds of people from Chikkasugur, Vadlur, Eganur, Kukanur and Heggasanahalli villages, who have lost their agricultural land to the Yermarus Thermal Power Station (YTPS), staged a demonstration outside the YTPS construction site, about 19 km from here, on Monday demanding the promised compensation.

They alleged that Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL), a State government undertaking that is constructing the power station, had not kept its promise of providing a job to each family that had lost its land for the project, apart from paying monitory compensation.

“Our fertile agricultural land, our only source of livelihood, was acquired for the power project in 2013. Each family that lost its land was assured a job, ” an agitating farmer said. They demanded that KPCL reserve 50 per cent of the jobs in the project for local people; adopt Heggasanahalli and Kukanur villages for their development; and take enough precautionary measures to minimise environmental pollution by the power station.