Santanu Saraswati
RPG Group’s flagship company, CESC’s one of the major thermal power projects at Dumka in neighbouring Jharkhand is in deep waters. The 1000-mega watt thermal power plant was meant for power trading—with 25 per cent of power to be supplied to Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) and the rest 75 per cent to other power distribution companies through central power grid for trading.
Blame it or not, it’s the irresponsible handling of situation that has lead one of the most favoured power utility in the country on the verge of losing few hundreds crores. Even after three years after its announcement the company didn’t succeed to construct a single brick, nor global tender was floated for selecting power equipment manufacturing for developing the state-of-the-art ultra mega power plant. Developing a 1000-mega watt thermal power unit requires minimum 36-months from the date of commencing the work.
The power utility in a massive drive for capacity building, decided to develop a 1000-mega watt thermal power station in neighbouring Jharkhand in 2005 as both land and coal—the two prime things for power unit were easy available.
The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the then state chief minister, Arjun Munda, on September 5, 2005. It was promised that the company would develop a state-of-the-art thermal power generation unit at Godda with coal linkage from neighbouring Dumka district—the sub-divisional headquarter of Santhal Pargana.
But since then, nothing proceeded due to unknown reasons and the MoU was about to expire on September 2007—just two years after it was signed between company’s vice-chairman, Sanjeev Goenka and Munda.
On December 6, the company re-validated the MoU, as it was waiting for the permission for the coal block. The Union Coal Ministry put the stamp of approval on CESC’s application for coal block on January 9, 2008, but jointly with the Avijit Group company, Jas Infrastructure Pvt Limited. CESC to use water from River Brahmani and Ero Nulluah adjacent to the project site for steady supply of water.
For proper and smooth supply of fossil fuel, CESC even formed a new joint venture
The CESC again shifted the project to Kathikund under Shikaripara block, as the coal block allotted to the CESC in Mohugarhi is just 13 kilometres away from the prospective thermal power station and also because the present chief minister, Shibu Soren, wanted it to be there because Dumka has a lot of contribution to his political career.
Surprisingly, Soren even got all his ministers as well as the opposition Congress and the saffron brigade’s support for the project as it would be first of its kind in its eight-years’ history, after Jharkhand was curved out from Bihar and Dumka was declared as the second capital on the state formation day.
The company, too, favoured the new destination, as it wouldn’t have to face the problem of displacement and spend on rehabilitation, as the 730-acre land allotted to it, was lying unused since declaration of Santhal Pargana.
Unfortunately, even after getting the support of the government and main opposition parties, the company failed to progress on this project, with the land still lying barren with no stone built on the site. The CESC even took an office at Ashok Nagar in Ranchi on November 2007 against a monthly rent of Rs 32,000—but that too lying vacant and unused since then causing the power utility a total loss of Rs 4.48 lakhs till date.
It is learnt that the executive director (business development), Vinod Kumar, was assigned with the task of carrying out the project to success. But unfortunately, Kumar, as one of the power department official with the Jharkhand government alleged, is only interested of CESC’s another ultra mega thermal power project in Orissa, where the company even failed to get the Orissa government’s go-ahead for it. Few required documents, too, were not submitted with the Jharkhand state government, the official said.
When contacted by Hindustan Times, Kumar however, declined to comment on the project and told he is out of the city on some important official work.
santanu_saraswati@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment