Preliminary works for JLPP to commence soon

Jayankondam, Aug 27 (UNI) The preliminary works for the Rs 9,800 crore lignite-based power plant at Jayamkondam (JLPP) will commence soon, according to official sources.

The sources told UNI while a feasibility report was being prepared, environmental studies and soil investigation for this prestegious project had been taken up.

The Jayamkondam block is estimated to have a reserve of 1,150 million tonnes of lignite. The public sector undertaking, Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC), which has been permitted by the Tamil Nadu Government to take up the project has drawn up an ambitious plan for a lignite mine with an annual capacity of 13.5 million tonnes and a power plant with two units of 800 MW each, the sources added.

The state government had already acquired about 10,000 acres of land at Melur, Ilaiyur, Kallathur, Thandalai, Variyangkaval, Devanur, Jayankondam Keelakudiyiruppu. But, the project needed another 15,000 acres of land, for which the government had assured NLC that it would acquire adequate land, the sources said.

Union Minister of Communication and Information Technology A Raja, who represents Perambalur in the Lok Sabha, in which Jayankondam falls, assured that the project would be taken up shortly. However, the opposition parties like the AIADMK and PMK have raised doubts over the reported commencement of the JLPP.

K N Ramalingam, a local advocate and treasurer of the Perambalur district MGR Mandram affiliated to the AIADMK, said the announcement of both the central and state governments on the JLPP was only on paper and there was no actual progress.

He said about 7,000 cases were pending in the two special courts set up by the Tamil Nadu government to settle all disputed claims of the land owners, who gave the land to the JLPP, since 2002.

The Central government has not yet given green signal to include the NLC as one of the parties in the land dispute case. Due to the lapse on the part of the Centre, the cases on claiming higher amount on land, which was acquired for the JLPP, was pending for years, he added.

He alleged that the Tamil Nadu government was not taking any follow up measures and in fact it was not sure about the rehabilitation measures to be provided to those who gave away the land to the JLPP.

Local PMK leaders also of the same view. They urged the Central and state govenments to take concrete steps for early commissioning of the JLPP.

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