By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, June 23 : The AP High Court has suspended the operation of a GO issued by the state government that had set aside land for construction of a thermal power plant at Sompeta in Srikakulam district.
With this the Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) received another blow as the National Environment Appellate Authority had earlier quashed the environment clearance granted to the plant by the Centre.
Meanwhile on Thursday, the 567th day of the relay hunger strike launched against the power project, the villagers of the area and members of the Paryavarana Parirakshana Samiti rejoiced and welcomed the interim orders of the High Court.
The villagers claimed that it was a great victory for the people who had been agitating against the proposed power plant for many years.
The state government had alienated 972.69 acres of land, locally known as “Beela” land, to the NCC to set up a 2640 MW coal-based thermal power plant through a GO on September 15, 2008. It had claimed that the lands were waste lands.
While admitting a plea by local farmers, Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao made it clear that as the GO was suspended, the land should not be used for other purposes.
The local farmers had been against the plant as they said that they would lose their livelihood if the plant was set up. During their agitation, two farmers had been killed in police firing on July 14, 2010.
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