Grant EC to Khandwa thermal project, Chouhan urges Javadekar

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed to Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar to grant early environmental clearance to Stage-II of Shri Singaji thermal power project in Khandwa district. [caption id=“attachment_1554737” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. IBNLive[/caption] The Stage-II of this project at Dogaliya village is being implemented by public undertaking of Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company, Chouhan said in a letter to the minister. He said this project has all the pre-requisites for early development, except for the EC. The Ministry of Environment and Forests is not considering state government’s request for grant of environmental clearance for want of Stage-I forest clearance of the linked coal block, in view of mandate provided vide its letter dated April 19, 2012. On December 30, 2012, the Ministry amended the provisions for Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPPS) and decided not to link environmental clearance to UMPPs with Stage-I clearance of the linked coal blocks. The Chief Minister said the state government has requested the Ministry to provide similar dispensation in grant of environmental clearance to power projects of state PSUs, as being provided to UMPPs. The state government’s senior officers including the Chief Secretary have personally visited New Delhi and presented the case. However, response is still awaited. Implementation of Shri Singaji TPP (stage-II) would be delayed, if condition is not relaxed by the Ministry for State PSUs also, it added. PTI