KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee is not prepared to evoke land-losing pangs by invoking the Land Acquisition Act 1894 -- not even for necessities like electricity. In a meeting on Friday, the chief minister, who is also the power minister, decided that her government will not acquire land for power projects through the centuries-old Act that calls for forcible acquisition.
Mamata has already set up a two-member land committee comprising former land and land reforms commissioner Debabrata Bandopadhyay and barrister Somendra Nath Basu to formulate the most acceptable land acquisition policy. But the only land acquisition project that will get a green signal in the near future seems to be for the 6,000 acres to build embankments in Aila-hit Sundarbans. Here, too, land will be taken only after prior consultations at the gram samsad, gram panchayat level and will be offered government jobs (subject to appropriate vacancies). The solatium amount will be increased to 60% from 30%.
Mamata has already set up a two-member land committee comprising former land and land reforms commissioner Debabrata Bandopadhyay and barrister Somendra Nath Basu to formulate the most acceptable land acquisition policy. But the only land acquisition project that will get a green signal in the near future seems to be for the 6,000 acres to build embankments in Aila-hit Sundarbans. Here, too, land will be taken only after prior consultations at the gram samsad, gram panchayat level and will be offered government jobs (subject to appropriate vacancies). The solatium amount will be increased to 60% from 30%.
The chief minister has given a go-ahead to this project considering the vulnerability of the islanders of Sundarbans. She wants to start the work by September 1.
However, Mamata doesn't feel the same way for power projects. Last Friday, she held a meeting with officials of power department, the state power utilities, DVC and NTPC to take stock of the state's dismal power situation. "At the meeting, the chief minister made it very clear that not an inch of land will be acquired for power projects under the current Land Acquisition Act," said a source in the know. Officials cited the ongoing Katwa plants (units 1 and 2), each with 800 MW capacity -- saying land acquisition was the need of the hour for these plants. Bengal's projected shortfall in peak seasons -- as pointed out by the Eastern Regional Power Committee (ERPC) under the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) - will be 1,349 MW in 2012; 2,194 MW in 2013; 3074 MW in 2014 and 4050 MW in 2015.
With the Katwa power plant project underway, the state power utility needs a total 1,100 acres of which 450 is in government possession. Mamata stressed on consultation even if that takes some time for the power project that is already two years behind schedule.
Last September, WBPDCL decided to transfer the Katwa projects to NTPC because of funds crunch. But the state government must go ahead with the acquisition and hand over the land to NTPC. Around Rs 134 crore have already been sunk in.
As per CEA's stock-taking report last year, West Bengal, which used to proclaim itself a power-surplus regions once upon a time, failed to equip itself against the huge shortfall. Referring to the Planning Commission's stern views of Bengal's power planning, CEA observed that the state had known since 2002 that the average increase in power demand is 450 MW annually.
And now the government's latest stand would affect 5800-MW projects that are in the pipeline. All these have been projected in the ongoing 11th Five-Year Plan.
However, Mamata doesn't feel the same way for power projects. Last Friday, she held a meeting with officials of power department, the state power utilities, DVC and NTPC to take stock of the state's dismal power situation. "At the meeting, the chief minister made it very clear that not an inch of land will be acquired for power projects under the current Land Acquisition Act," said a source in the know. Officials cited the ongoing Katwa plants (units 1 and 2), each with 800 MW capacity -- saying land acquisition was the need of the hour for these plants. Bengal's projected shortfall in peak seasons -- as pointed out by the Eastern Regional Power Committee (ERPC) under the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) - will be 1,349 MW in 2012; 2,194 MW in 2013; 3074 MW in 2014 and 4050 MW in 2015.
With the Katwa power plant project underway, the state power utility needs a total 1,100 acres of which 450 is in government possession. Mamata stressed on consultation even if that takes some time for the power project that is already two years behind schedule.
Last September, WBPDCL decided to transfer the Katwa projects to NTPC because of funds crunch. But the state government must go ahead with the acquisition and hand over the land to NTPC. Around Rs 134 crore have already been sunk in.
As per CEA's stock-taking report last year, West Bengal, which used to proclaim itself a power-surplus regions once upon a time, failed to equip itself against the huge shortfall. Referring to the Planning Commission's stern views of Bengal's power planning, CEA observed that the state had known since 2002 that the average increase in power demand is 450 MW annually.
And now the government's latest stand would affect 5800-MW projects that are in the pipeline. All these have been projected in the ongoing 11th Five-Year Plan.
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