Karnataka - Mysore

Meeting is to drum support for power plant, say NGOs

MYSORE: The decision of the Minister for Power K.S. Eshwarappa to hold a meeting on the proposed coal-fired thermal power plant at Chamalapura, has stirred a hornet’s nest among the NGOs in the city. They have expressed concern that the proposed meeting is only a gimmick to pave the way for private parties to launch the power plant. The meeting is scheduled to be held in the city on Sunday, where the Minister will seek a memorandum from the public and also apprise himself on the project.

In a release, M. Lakshman, convener, Association of Concerned and Informed Citizens of Mysore (ACICM), raised apprehensions that the Minister may flood the venue with “yes men”, who will support the project and the report of this “public hearing” would be placed in the Assembly to justify it on the grounds that the people willed it. This suspicion has been reinforced by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election promise of supplying free power for farmers. NGO’s suspect that the Government may be averse to shelve the project because of this. They felt there was no need for another public hearing when BJP representatives herewere aware of opposition to it.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu