Environment public hearing for Telangana Super Thermal Power Plant held amid tight security

In order to collect opinion from NGOs, environmentalists, political leaders, public and others on the proposed project, the district administration conducted the hearing at the Zilla Parish High School premises

Peddapalli: The environmental public hearing for the Telangana Super Thermal Power Project (TSTPP), Phase-2 (3×800 MW), which was cancelled twice in the past, was finally held amid tight police security on Tuesday.

In order to collect opinion from NGOs, environmentalists, political leaders, public and others on the proposed project, the district administration conducted the hearing at the Zilla Parish High School premises, TTS, Jyothinagar. However, very few people attended the hearing as tight security was arranged by deploying 700 police personnel.

---

Moreover, restrictions were imposed en route to the venue. The BRS had given an NTPC town bandh call opposing the public hearing. In the wake of the bandh call, police took a few BRS leaders into preventive custody early in the morning and shifted them to Jaipur police station.

Police also arrested BRS district president and former MLA Korukanti Chander when he arrived at the public hearing venue. He was also shifted to Jaipur police station. Chander found fault with the State government for not allowing a former MLA to express his opinion in the public hearing.

“Was it public hearing or suppression?” he asked, stating that they were not against the power project, but wanted the government to take steps to protect the interests of the local people.

Though 3,700 families donated 10,000 acres of land for NTPC, the land oustees were not provided employment. People residing in the villages located near the NTPC ash pond were facing severe hardships. So, they should be relocated, he said.

Mild tension prevailed when a Traffic ACP directed Ramagundam MLA Makkan Singh Raj Thakur to enter the venue through a different route. Congress activists entered an argument with the police and raised slogans against the police. The MLA later lodged a complaint with the Collector and asked to take action against the ACP.

Expressing his opinion on the proposed project, the legislator alleged that the Pollution Control Board had become a rubber stamp in the area. Stating that NTPC had neglected the project affected villages, he said the Chief General Manager would know the problems of affected people if he visited the villages.

Collector Koya Sree Harsha, who chaired the public hearing, said the issues raised by the participants would be sent to the department concerned.