Cuttack. June 25: Orissa High Court today refused to revoke the over month-old status quo order issued by it on construction for the thermal power plant being set up by KVK Nilachal Power at Kandarei, which falls in Athgarh tehsil of Cuttack district.

The court had imposed the restriction on May 18 in an interim order on a petition that sought judicial intervention against construction for the power project that allegedly violated wildlife norms. Charidesha Krushak Surakhya Sangh, represented by president of the organisation Narayan Sahu, had filed the petition.

Subsequently, KVK Nilachal Power filed a petition for revoking the interim order on the ground that a petition seeking clearance for construction for the power plant was pending before the National Board for Wildlife.

But, the division bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice S.K. Mishra turned down the plea with a direction to the National Board for Wildlife to dispose of within two weeks the petition of KVK Nilachal Power. The court expected the power concern to submit the order of National Board for Wildlife for further adjudication of the case.

Charidesha Krushak Surakhya Sangh’s petition said the plant site was within three to four kilometres of the boundary of Kapilash Wildlife Sanctuary, which was notified on an area of 125sqkm in April last year.

Construction of any industrial unit within 10km of the boundary of the protected area without obtaining clearance from the National Board for Wildlife violates the orders of the Supreme Court, the organisation had alleged.

KVK Nilachal Power is to set up a 1400MW power project at Kandarai. The proposal is for setting up a coal-based power project in two phases. In the first phase, the plant will have a capacity 250MW and in the second phase 1050MW. The total land requirement is 984 acres, of which 158 acres is forestland.