New Delhi: A day after a violent protest by local farmers, Environment Ministry today ordrered suspension of construction work of a power plant in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
The Ministry sought a report by March 6 from the company East Coast Energy Pvt Ltd on compliance of conditions for environmental clearance.
The ongoing construction work related to the project should be 'suspended forthwith', the Ministry said in its order with regard to the power plant.
It said the 2,640 MW Super Critical Coal plant was being constructed on wetland and cited recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry as a reason for order to suspend work.
The Ministry said the case will be heard on March 7 when the representatives of the company should be present. The order comes a day after police firing on farmers who were protesting against the project in Srikakulam in which two people were killed.
The matter was raised in Parliament today after which Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh promised action. Ramesh threatened to slap another show cause notice on the company promoting the power plant.
Describing the killing of farmers as 'unfortunate and tragic', Ramesh said this was not the first time that violation had taken in this connection and his ministry had issued a show cause notice earlier as well.
"In view of the nature and the seriousness of the matter, it had been decided that the Expert Appraisal Committee dealing with Thermal power projects should consider these and the issue of compliance with the conditions stipulated in the aforesaid environmental clearances in its meeting scheduled to be held on March 7," the notice said.
In a related development, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister P. Sabita Reddy has claimed that the police had fired only rubber bullets to disperse the mob protesting against the thermal power plant.
The Minister said that about 700 villagers (who were opposing the construction of the power plant) armed with sticks and rods surrounded the policemen at H.N. Peta (near Kakarapalli) and burnt a police vehicle and damaged another one.
The police had warned the mob to disperse but in vain, the Minister said adding the police on seeing the menacing crowd initially resorted to lathi-charge and fired pellets which did not deter the crowd. Later, the police fired rubber bullets in which one Jeeru Nageswara Rao died at the site while another person identified as Seerapu Yerraiah, who had received an injury on forearm, died at his home, Sabita said.
Police fired 34 plastic pellets and 17 rubber bullets on the agitators which also left five agitators injured besides ten policemen also got hurt during stone pelting, the Minister said.
The East Coast Energy Private Limited which is setting up the 2,640 MW coal-based thermal power plant at Kakarapalli village in Santhabommali mandal of Srikakulam district had obtained requisite permissions from the Central and State government for the proposed plant, Sabita Reddy said.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police K. Aravinda Rao has added that police fired only rubber bullets but that resulted in casualties as police fired from close range.