Manorama Madhwaraj refutes Nagarjuna company CEO's remarks

Udupi, Karnataka, Aug 7 (UNI) Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Udupi Manorama Madhwaraj, who has been strongly voicing against any coal-based thermal power project in the district, today refuted the remarks of Nagarjuna Power Project Chief Executive Officer Praveer Sinha that permission for the project was granted when she was a State Minister.

Taking strong exception to the remarks, she charged Mr Sinha with deliberately and unneccesarily dragging her name following opoosition to the coal-based thermal power project mounting, and misleading the public.

Ms Madhwaraj clarified in a release here that ''conditional permission'' was only given to M/s Jayaprakash Engineering and Steel Company (JESCO) in 1994 for captive power generation inside the project area for its steel unit at Thokur near Mangalore, subject to clearances from the Union Environment and Forests Ministry and other departments concerned. However, later, Nagarjuna Company had purchased the project from JESCO.

The Centre refused permission to the Nagarjuna company's steel project as it had failed to follow the set guidelines. The National Power Company of England, which had earlier agreed to collaborate with JESCO for producing 350 MW captive power generation, later withdrew and the entire project did not materialise, she said, adding that there was absolutely no connection between the permission granted to the Thokur steel plant and the one given to the coal-based thermal power plant at Yellur near here.

Meanwhile, refuting the claims of the company that the project was ready for implementation, the Jana Jagriti Samiti said in a release here that the issue was still pending before the Karnataka High Court.

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