Karchana Thermal Power Project

{{#Badges:CoalSwarm|navbar-Indiacoal}}Karchana Thermal Power Project was a 1980 megawatt project being developed by Sangam Power Generation Company, a power generation subsidiary of the privately owned Jaypee Group, a major Indian infrastructure company with interests in civil engineering and construction, cement, power, real estate, expressways, hospitality, golf courses and education.

Location

The project is proposed to be built at Bara tehsil (village Karchhana) in the Allahabad district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The aerial photograph below shows the location of the project as identified in the Environmental Clearance.

Background

The project comprised three 660MW units which were being developed by JPV subsidiary Sangam Power Generation Company.

According to the 2010/2011 annual report, the company was in possession of the 778 hectares needed for the project and had received the necessary environmental clearance, water linkage, and coal linkage. Boiler foundations were completed and other construction works was underway. Financial closure had been achieved.

In April 2012, the Times of India reported that project was stalled in the wake of a decision by the Allahaban high court to quash the company's notifications for the acquisition of 650 hectares of land for the project. However, in June 2012 the project was revived.

In December 2013 Jaiprakash Power Ventures announced that it was cancelling the project. According to one report, the project "was unviable at the rates it had quoted to bag the project in 2009 and the total land required for the project was not handed over yet." It was reported that the government had initiated talks for transferring the project to NTPC.

Citizen opposition

In January 2011 a protest was initiated by local farmers of Kachari in the Karchan area over a land acquisition dispute. The farmers were demanding to be paid a fair market value for their land. During this protest it was reported that "three policemen were injured, two police vehicles set ablaze and the Delhi-Howrah trunk route was blocked for 13 hours." It was the culmination of protests that had been ongoing for four months.

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In June 2011, farmers protested the plant by staging a mass public begging, to dramatize that if the plant is built the loss of their land will leave them with no option other than begging. In footage broadcast by CVB News Service, Raj Bahadur Patel, a leader of the farmers, said, "The government acquired our lands without following the policy of land acquisition. We have been protesting for 300 days. The administration has said they will not do anything in the matter. We have appealed to the government to give us our lands as they are our source of livelihood. The farmers along with their families participated in the flag march today." Another leader, Arvind Patel, said, "We have no option but to beg for our lands, but this government says that begging is also a crime."

In April 2013, after four years of protests by local farmers, it was announced they were ready to make a final decision on the plant's future. After opposing the plant, farmers showed interest after the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act (2013) passed the Indian Parliament. The farmers noted the Act ought to give them legal standing for better compensation for their land.

Project Details

Sponsor: Sangam Power Generation Company,br> Parent: Jaypee Group
Location: Uttar Pradesh
Coordinates: 25.190556, 82.019722 (exact)
Status: Cancelled
Nameplate capacity: 1980 MW
Type:
Projected in service: 2014
Coal Type:
Coal Source:
Estimated annual CO₂:
Source of financing:

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