Chennai, Aug. 26:
PMK MLA Sowmya Anbumani has strongly opposed any further land acquisition for Neyveli Lignite Corporation, saying Tamil Nadu does not need the additional power generated by the public sector company and urging the State government to prevent the proposed acquisition of more agricultural land.
Speaking during the debate on demands for grants in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Sowmya said NLC had already caused extensive land loss in Cuddalore district and was now seeking to acquire additional land for future projects.
She alleged that the company had already affected around 40,000 acres of land and was seeking to acquire another 60,000 acres for new mining and related projects.
Sowmya argued that Tamil Nadu’s power demand stood at around 21,000 MW, while the combined installed capacity of public and private sector power facilities in the State was about 36,000 MW. She said Tamil Nadu had become a power-surplus State and that NLC’s contribution of about 2,000 MW was therefore not indispensable.
She also questioned the utilisation of NLC’s Corporate Social Responsibility funds and said a greater share should be used for Tamil Nadu. She suggested that CSR funds could be deployed for projects such as check dams and paddy storage facilities.
Recalling past protests against land acquisition, Sowmya said local communities had faced displacement and livelihood losses because of NLC projects. She said further acquisition of agricultural land should not be permitted.
PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss has also called on the government to make it a policy decision that agricultural land would not be acquired for mining, industrial or other projects. He argued that the State government could prevent further acquisition by refusing to facilitate the transfer of farmland.
During the Assembly debate, DMK MLA Ganesan said the previous government had intervened to secure additional compensation for farmers who gave up land and had also ensured annual CSR support of Rs 100 crore from NLC.
Industries Minister Keerthana, responding to the concerns, said the government would not abandon people affected by NLC projects, drawing a comparison with its stand on protecting those affected by the Parandur airport proposal. She noted that NLC was a Central government undertaking and said the issue had existed for several years.