July 4: Land, the plank on which Mamata Banerjee rode to power in Delhi, will pose a hurdle when the railways set out to implement her promise in the budget of a 1,000MW power plant in Purulia.

The railways will sign a memorandum of understanding with NTPC under which it will provide land for the company to set up the plant and run it. The power generated will be used by the railways.

According to NTPC officials, setting up a 1,000MW power plant would require 2,500-3,000 acres. “Land will also be needed for a residential complex, a hospital and other facilities for the NTPC employees. An ash pond would also be required at the plant site,” a senior NTPC official said.

The railways will conduct a feasibility study and identify a plot on which the power plant can come up.

A railway official said there was enough land available with the railways in Adra division of Purulia. But there is a problem — the plots are small and scattered. The railways would need at least two big plots, around 1,500 acres each, for the plant and the residential complex.

“It is not necessary to have the plant and residential complex on one plot. Power plants and residential complexes for employees may be located in different areas,” the railway official added.

Railway officials have been told by Mamata that land must not be acquired. “The minister has told officials to ensure that there is no acquisition of land for the project. Even if acquisition is done, it should not be agricultural land,” the railway official said.

When Nitish Kumar was the railway minister in 2002, a similar power project was sanctioned for Nabinagar in Bihar’s Aurangabad district. For that project, too, NTPC was told to set up the plant.

But seven years have passed and the project is yet to take off. “The final clearance has come and work will start soon,” an NTPC official said.

The railways will first conduct a feasibility study in Adra. This will be followed by a rapid environment impact assessment, to be done by the railways and NTPC. The railways will also have to sign an agreement with Coal India for the supply of coal for the plant.

“A plant will take 32-35 months to complete after getting the final clearance. It is difficult to say when the Adra plant will finally come up,” an NTPC official said.

Adra residents said land prices would go up in the area once the construction of the plant begins.

Land prices in Adra and its surrounding areas vary between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh a bigha. Once the project starts, it could go up to Rs 80,000-Rs 2.5 lakh. “We want industry to come up here and are ready to give land,” said Nandalal Tudu, a farmer from Kumardihi, near Adra.

The other job creating projects that Mamata announced in the budget yesterday are likely to take off smoothly.

In Delhi, railway officials said the coach factory in Kanchrapara-Halishahar, in North 24-Parganas, would come up in two years. “A global tender will be floated in two to three months and the target for completion is two years,” an official said.

The factory would come up on 500-600 acres between Halishahar and Naihati. “Initially, 20 to 25 coaches will roll out from there. Later, the capacity will be increased,” he said.

The mid-life overhauling plant for train coaches will come up on 150 acres at Naopara in Dum Dum, also in North 24-Parganas.

The average life of a coach is 25 to 30 years. However, rain, moisture and other wear and tear require coaches to be overhauled after 10-12 years.

At Dankuni, two projects are slated to roll. One unit would manufacture diesel locomotive ancillaries, another would make ancillary parts for high horsepower engines.

At Majherhat in South 24-Parganas, the railways will manufacture wagon-loading trolleys.