Pirpainty farmers who gave land for a 1,320MW NTPC power project are raising questions on violation of green norms by the government during land acquisition.
The project would cost Pirpainty a huge tract of green, not to forget mangoes. Famers have been on the warpath for four months. On April 18, they stalled construction of a boundary wall around the plant site over alleged irregularities in distribution of compensation.
Anga Kishan Sangharsha Samity (AKSS), a body of resident farmers who donated land, has decided to intensify its stir over cutting of mango orchards and destruction of greenery for the power plant. "We would soon call on higher ups in the forest and environment department in Delhi and apprise them how the state government violated basic norms," said BJP's Pirpainty block president Munna Singh.
He says over 500 farmers gave land having mango orchards and not less than 8,000 mango trees might have been cut down. Shanker Dayal Thakur, a social worker, said that before 2012, plots at Pirpainty cost Rs 2 lakh per acre. But as soon as the area was selected for the power project, the government offered Rs 40 lakh per acre. "The farmers gave their plots without thinking twice," Thakur said. But he had no idea how NOC was obtained. "Just before Lok Sabha polls, then Bhagalpur district magistrate B. Kartikeya inspected acquired land and asked how land with sizeable mango orchards could be permitted for a power plant," Thakur said.
Asked how the government got the NOC, district magistrate Birendra Prasad Yadav asked to speak to Kahalgaon deputy collector, land reforms (DCLR) Ravi Ranjan Gupta. But Ravi refused to speak.
In Patna, sources at the state-level environment impact authority (SEIAA) said they had not received any proposal for green clearance for the plant. SEIAA conducts environment impact assessment and gives green clearance for power plants of capacity less than 500MW. The Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change handles higher capacity proposals.
B.A. Khan, principal chief conservator of forests, state department of environment and forests, however, claimed no mandatory substitute plantation is required when mango orchards on private land are cut. "Substitute plantation clause is applicable in case of forest land," Khan said.
District magistrate Birendra said farmers who gave land were motivated to claim their right over mangoes as the area is seeing a bumper crop. "We are making plans to establish government's right," he said.