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Hundreds of crores spent in 23 years, yet NTPC Tandwa project’s future uncertain

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3 years ago

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Hundreds of crores have been spent in the last 23 years on setting up the National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) power plant at Tandwa in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, but till date no electricity has been generated from it.

Preparations were underway to start power generation from the first unit of the plant this month itself, but it seems unlikely due to a violent clash between the locals, whose properties were acquired for setting up the plant, and the police on March 7.

The agitated locals set ablaze 56 small and big vehicles deployed at the plant and vandalised the offices. A total of 27 people were injured from both sides in the clashes between the police and the agitating displaced people.

After the violent confrontation, the situation in the project and the surrounding areas are tense. The administration has imposed prohibitory orders in six villages affected by the project.

So far, seven people have been arrested in connection with the violence. Also, an FIR has been registered against 100 named and 800 unidentified persons.

Police are conducting flag marches in the areas around the project ever since the incident. However, 60 per cent of the staff are not coming to the office.

In such a situation, it is almost certain that the proposed trial of the first unit of the plant in March would be postponed.

The project, ever since its foundation stone was laid in 1999, has remained in disputes. People, whose properties were acquired for setting up the plant, have been holding protests for the last two decades raising demands such as financial compensation, rehabilitation and jobs.

On March 6, 1999, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had laid its foundation stone and people were hoping that a new chapter of development would begin in the area, which is infamous for Naxalism and backwardness. The target was to make the plant operational by 2002-2003.

Three units of the power plant are being installed here, aiming to produce 1,980 MW of electricity. And it was scheduled that the trial of the first unit, having the capacity of 660 MW, would commence in March 2022.

Equipped with modern technology, for the first time in the country, the thermal power plant is being established using the air-cooled condenser system technology that would bring down the water consumption to just 25 per cent.

With the completion of the project, apart from Jharkhand, electricity would also be supplied to Bihar, Odisha, Bengal and Northeast.

For the project, the land was mainly acquired from six villages and at that time the old law of land acquisition was in force.

Meanwhile, the government made a new law regarding land acquisition, wherein there is a provision that if the project for which the land has been acquired does not get started within five years, then the land will be returned to the farmers.

When the work of the project started after seven years due to delay in land acquisition and several other reasons, disputes erupted over compensation, rehabilitation, jobs to the affected. The work of the project continued to be affected due to dharnas, demonstrations, agitations.

In the last 23 years, there have been more than one hundred confrontations between the NTPC Management, Administration, Police and displaced persons. Also there were numerous incidents of firing, lathi charge and violence.

There were several agreements between NTPC, the administration and the villagers, but the dispute was never fully resolved.

In the meantime, compensation has been paid to most of the ryot or displaced persons. However, the project continued at a slow pace amid the regular interruptions.

About a year and a half ago, the dispute regarding the compensation for the acquired land erupted again. The organisation of the displaced locals started the agitation, saying the compensation received earlier was inadequate.

They intalled tents in front of the main gate of the NTPC project and have been continuously staging a sit-in for the last 14 months.

A senior official at NTPC says that the ryots from whom the land was acquired were given compensation in 2015 itself. “There is no such law that compensation should be given again for the same land. It’s just not possible.”

The agitating farmers have three main demands.

The first is that they should be paid compensation at the rate of Rs 20 lakh per acre and the ryots who have not been paid the compensation should be paid at the new rate along with interest.

The second demand is “each displaced family should be given a uniform rehabilitation package as presently the amount is being given to the people of different areas at different rates”.

Similarly their third demand is “Compensation in lieu of missing raiyati land, Gairmajarua Khas land, and houses, trees, ponds and wells situated on that land; 75 per cent grant to displaced ryots in NTPC-run schemes, and employment for every displaced family in NTPC”.

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National

Police in Srinagar attach property worth Rs 1.5 crore under UAPA

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1 day ago

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July 5, 2025

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Srinagar, July 5: Continuing its drive against terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police in Srinagar district on Saturday attached property worth Rs 1.5 crore under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

A police statement said on Saturday, “In a decisive move against the terror ecosystem and to dismantle its supporting infrastructure, Srinagar Police has attached a residential property — comprising 8 marlas and 202 sq. ft. of land along with the building structure— estimated to be worth approximately Rs 1.5 crore.

“The property, located at Mir Masjid Mohalla, Shallabagh Khanyar, and falling under Survey Nos. 3674/1147 and 3677/1148, is recorded in the name of Mohammad Yousuf Shah son of Hafiz Waliuallah Shah.”

The police statement added, “It is currently in the possession of Masood Hussain Shah son of Mohammad Yousuf Shah. The attachment has been carried out under the relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with FIR No. 48/2024 under Sections 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 7/27 of the Indian Arms Act, and Sections 16, 18, 19, 20, and 39 of the UAP Act, registered at Police Station Khanyar.

“Investigations have established that the property was acquired through illegal proceeds linked to terrorist activities. Acting under Section 25 of the UAP Act, the immovable property has been formally seized and attached following due legal procedure.

“Through this attachment notice, the owner is prohibited from selling, leasing, or transferring the said property in any manner. This action is part of the sustained campaign of Srinagar Police to dismantle the terror ecosystem in a systematic manner.

“By targeting and crippling the financial networks of terrorist organisations, Jammu & Kashmir Police aims to curb acts detrimental to the security and integrity of the nation. Srinagar Police reiterates its unwavering commitment to eradicating terrorism and safeguarding public peace.”

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World-famous Mudiya Mela in Govardhan from tomorrow, cleanliness campaign launched

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2 days ago

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July 5, 2025

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Govardhan (UP), July 5: As the world-famous Mudiya Mela will kick off in Uttar Pradesh’s Govardhan on Sunday, authorities have launched a cleanliness campaign.

Over 2 crore pilgrims are expected to reach Govardhan for the mela and perform Parikrama.

The cleanliness campaign, led by District Magistrate C.P. Singh, started on Saturday and focussed on cleanliness in key areas, including Parikrama Marg, Daanghati temple, and Giriraj ji.

DM Singh swept the land near the Govardhan temple, spreading the message of cleanliness.

As per the directions of the Uttar Pradesh government, efforts are being made to provide pilgrims with proper facilities and clean surroundings, he said.

The District Magistrate said people use polythene bags and indulge in littering as they don’t care about cleanliness, but now, as prior warnings have been given, strict action will be taken against violators.

The DM pointed out that maintaining cleanliness in the area was the responsibility of the temple management, but as it failed, “our team and locals of Govardhan are carrying out the cleanliness drive.”

Highlighting the importance of cleanliness, DM Singh said, “We aim to clean the entire Parikrama marg.”

He also shared that notices have been issued to those shops which have encroached on public land. The cleanliness campaign was made successful with the efforts of Govardhan SDM Neelam Srivastava, Govardhan Tehsil and Panchayat.

For the unversed, Mudiya Mela is observed in remembrance of Sanatan Goswami, the principal disciple of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Legends have it that when Sanatan Goswami passed away, his disciples did parikrama of the Govardhan after tonsuring their heads. Since then, this tradition has been followed.

Notably, the 468-year-old tradition continues to draw a sea of devotees.

The devotees perform a 21-km-long Parikrama of Govardhan.

The belief with the yatra is that it bestows peace and prosperity on the devotees.

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Business

12 nations to get US tariff letters on Monday, says Trump

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2 days ago

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July 5, 2025

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New Delhi/Washington, July 5: US President Donald Trump has signed tariff letters on exports from 12 countries, which are expected to be sent out on July 7 (Monday).

Speaking to the media aboard Air Force One, the US President said the names of the countries which will receive the letters would only be revealed on Monday.

“I signed some letters and they’ll go out on Monday, probably 12. Different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs,” he told reporters.

“The letters are better. It is much easier to send a letter,” Trump added.

Trump has suggested that the reciprocal tariffs could go even higher, potentially reaching 70 per cent for some countries, and take effect from August 1.

The US President in April unveiled a base tariff of 10 per cent on most goods entering the country, along with higher rates for certain countries, including China. Those elevated tariffs were later suspended till July 9.

Washington has concluded trade agreements with two countries – the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, India’s high-level official delegation, led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, has returned from Washington without reaching a final agreement with US officials on the sensitive issue of trade in agricultural and dairy products that the US is pushing for.

However, there is still a glimmer of hope that an interim bilateral trade agreement may be reached at the highest political level in the two countries before the July 9 deadline.

The Indian team was in Washington for negotiations on an interim trade agreement with the US from June 26 – July 2.

According to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, India will not hurry into signing a free trade agreement under pressure from any deadline.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event in the national capital, Minister Goyal emphasised that India is ready to make trade deals in the national interest but it “never negotiates trade deals with a deadline”.

The US is seeking broader market access for its agricultural and dairy products, which is a major hurdle, as for India, this is a livelihood issue for the country’s small farmers, and hence, is considered a sensitive area.

While India is looking to secure an exemption from President Trump’s 26 per cent tariffs by concluding an interim deal before July 9, it is also pushing for significant tariff concessions for its labour-intensive exports such as textiles, leather and footwear.

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