K'taka Govt to go ahead with Chamalapur Thermal Project

Bangalore, Sep 1 (UNI) Notwithstanding strong protests from farmers and environmentalists, Karnataka Energy Minister H D Revanna today announced that the state government would go ahead with the proposed 500-MW Chamalapur Thermal Power Project at Chamalapur in Mysore district.

Addressing newspersons here, he said that taking into consideration the acute power shortage in Karnataka and the ever-increasing demand, the state could not afford to shelve the Rs 5,500 crore project because of such opposition.

Some vested interests were politicising the issue by misleading the farmers and environmentalists, the minister alleged.

Mr Revanna said ''the Chamalapur Thermal Power Project was one such project undertaken by the Karnataka Power Corporation (KPC) towards achieving self-reliance in power, which was vital for enhancing and sustaining the economic development of the State.'' He appealed to the farmers and other organisations protesting against the plant to realise the intention of the state government in pursuing the project. ''The Government was ready for talks with those opposing the project to clear all their fears,'' he added.

Mr Revanna, who also holds the Public Works Department portfolio, said the State Government had decided to lay an outer-ring road, encompassing the whole Bangalore Rural district at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore. The project appraisal for the proposed 400-km-long road had been received, he added.

He said it was contemplated to upgrade the present four-lane Bangalore-Mysore State highway to six-lane at a cost of Rs 750 crore.

UNI