Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Minister for Power will be laying the foundation stone on 31-3-10 for the 4,000 MW coal-fired thermal power plant being set up by the National Thermal Power Corporation at Kudgi in Bijapur District. This is surprising because the power plant has not been accorded the necessary environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. A few months ago, the foundation stone for the Gundia hydel power plant in Hassan District was laid before obtaining environmental clearance, and the MoEF raised strong objections. The same thing seems to happening again.
It is shocking that one Ministry of the Union government is blatantly flouting the rules and regulations of another Ministry. MGP has written a letter to S.K. Shinde (with a copy to Jairam Ramesh, the Union Minister for Environment and Forests) bringing the issue to his notice and asking him to cancel the stone-laying ceremony.
Maj.Gen.(Rtd.) S.G. Vombatkere, President, Mysore Grahakara Parishat