Local villagers back Powergrid project

Local villagers back Powergrid project
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Banala (Mandi), January 9
Local farmers have pledged their support to the proposed Rs. 560 crore Gas Insulated (GIS) Pooling station to be set by the Powergrid Corporation of India in this village here, but periphery villagers, mainly the banner of Mahila Mandal have raised a banner of revolt against the project, citing hazards of transmission lines and damage to environment as reasons for their opposition.

Banala village in Kingus panchayat, located on the National Highway-21, has been selected out of six other sites - Hansu, Nau Doghri, Gharad, Kotadhar, and Govindpuri - surveyed for the 400/220kv pooling station to store the power generated by the 2051 MW Parbti project, 800 MW Kol Dam, 192 MW Allian Duhangan, 100 MW Malana project. The corporation needs seven acres of land out of which 4.5 acre belongs to Banala farmers and 2.5 acres is the forest land.

Pardhan, Kingus Panchayat, Bhagwandas, who lives in Banala, said that 12 house owners, including he himself, had given their consent for acquiring land for the project which will generate local employment. "The outside villagers are opposing the project as they lost polls last year", he claimed.

Supported by the Snor Valley Bachao Andolan, Banala Mahila Mandal leaders Leela Thakur, Bhawani Devi and Pabana Devi claimed that the project would ruin local ecology as trees would be cut for it. "The gram sabha has not given its NOC. We will lose their TD, firewood and grazing rights in the area", they alleged.

Snor valley Bachao Andolan's Sesh Ram, Gulab Singh and others claimed that pooling station would expose them to the danger of radiation and electrocution as all transmission lines would come here from all directions.

They charged that the Pardahna and supporters of the project were playing in the hands of contractors eyeing "hot money".

Panarsa Forest Ranger Officer Laxmi Chand said that over 643 trees - out of which 500 are smaller-sized chil trees- would be cut for the pooling station in an area of 1054 hectares.

Naib-Tehsildar-Aut- Panarsa-Banala S L Bansal said that notification under section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act was issued on November 28. 2006 after Banala villagers gave their consent for the project.

The Chief Manager Powergrid Corporation G L Prasad said the villagers' fears were unfounded as Powergrid colony in Nalagarh was within the grid.

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