Amid opposition, Tangedco plans to develop areas near Ennore TPS
According to Tangedco officials, it plans to take up a range of basic infrastructure works from the construction of overhead water tanks to school buildings and various other works
Ennore thermal power station
CHENNAI: Amid stiff opposition from locals, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has allotted nearly Rs 18 crore to carry out developmental works in 13 panchayats and a town panchayat surrounding the Ennore thermal power station.
The fund has been allotted from the 800 MW North Chennai Thermal Power Plant Stage III and 2X660 MW Ennore SEZ Supercritical Thermal Power Plant for the Corporate Environment Responsibility (CER) activities through the Tiruvallur district administration to take up permanent infrastructure works to improve the quality of life and uplift the living standards of the surrounding panchayats.
The utility has allocated Rs 10.38 crore from the Ennore SEZ project’s total CER provision of Rs 37 core, while it gave Rs 7.55 crore from the NCTPS III project provision of Rs 10 crore.
According to Tangedco officials, it plans to take up a range of basic infrastructure works from the construction of overhead water tanks to school buildings and various other works including kitchen sheds, community halls, women’s sanitation complexes, PDS buildings, libraries, school toilets, noon meal centres and bus shelter in the 13 local bodies surrounding its upcoming thermal power plant.
Tangedco took up works under the CER as it is part of the conditions of the environmental clearance obtained from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for the NCTPS III and the Ennore SEZ projects.
K Saravanan of the Save Ennore Creek Campaign said that corporate social/environmental responsibility funds should be utilised for the projects as per the requirement of the local people.
“The committee constituted for deciding on the projects did not comprise of the local people,” he said, adding that if all the funds including the CER and penalties imposed by the NGT were properly utilised, they could be used to reclaim the environment. “People’s traditional knowledge should be utilised to devise schemes and projects for the welfare,” he insisted.