Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
Expressing deep concern over ever inadequate supply to gas-based power plants like Dabhol and Uran, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday urged Centre to take over Dabhol project and provide maximum power to state which is facing power shortage.
Chavan was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Mouda Super Thermal Power Project of NTPC. Union Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia was the chief guest.
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Guardian minister Shivajirao Moghe, State power minister Rajendra Mulak, food and civil supplies minister Anil Deshmukh, MP Avinash Pande, MLAs Ashish Jaiswal, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Narendra Bhondekar, former union minister Subodh Mohite were present at the programme.
Power generation of the state has affected due to inadequate supply of coal as state’s power projects are getting only 75 per cent coal, CM stated. Maharashtra Government is ready to invest Rs 1500 crore in the coal block allotted at Machhakata in Orissa, but Orissa government is not co-operating, he lamented. If the coal supply is not started from this block, Power generation to the tune of 3300 MW will be badly affected, he warned.
Chavan claimed that Chandrapur, Koradi and Parali power projects will generate power with full installed capacity before 2015. Chavan urged present ministers and officers to implement rehabilitation process with human touch as NTPC is going for another land acquisition in future. We are inviting industries in Vidarbha and promising interrupted power, he announced while sharing details of new Industrial policy approved by cabinet.
Union MoS of Power (Independent Charge) Jyotiraditya Scindia said that his ministry is going to invest Rs 4,000 crore in power sector of Maharashtra. NTPC’s Mouda and Solapur power project will generate 3,500 MW electricity. The capacity addition of power during the Eleventh Five Year Plan period was close to 55,000 MW and now, power ministry is planning for addition of 90,000 MW power capacity during Twelfth Five Year Plan period, the union minister informed. Union government had approved 35 power project for Maharashtra and sanctioned Rs 835 crore for development of power distribution infrastructure. He also praised NTPC for giving Rs 10.50 lakh per acre compensation to Project Affected People (PAP). He further added that his priorities will be to ensure proper electricity supply in country.
Member of Parliament and former Union Minister Mukul Wasnik said that the project will create jobs in the area. He assured for righteous rehabilitation of PAPs.
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| Ministers Shivajirao Moghe and Rajendra Mulak urging MLAs Adv Ashish Jaiswal, Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Narendra Bhondekar. |
CMD of NTPC Arup Roy Choudhury stated that NTPC is participating with 27.5 per cent power generation of total power generation of the country. Informing about Mouda project, he said that the plant is generating 500 MW power and capacity will be increased by 1320 MW after installation of 2x660 MW. India is becoming global power house and NTPC is trying to increase power generation capacity by applying modification in the projects, he added.
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Cops are trying to manage youths, who shouted
slogans for their demands. |
Opposition MLAs attracted attention of all when they refused to share the dais. MLAs Adv Ashish Jaiswal, Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Narendra Bhondekar chose to sit in first row with audience. They gave a cold shoulder to repeated requests made by NTPC officers. Finally, guardian minister Shivajirao Moghe and Rajendra Mulak approached them and urged to sit on the dais. MLA Jaiswal told ‘The Hitavada’ that organisers breached protocol and did not mention their names on invitation card.
Youths protested for government jobs
A group of youths created scene during the programme, when MP Mukul Wasnik was addressing the programme. Demanding jobs for PAPs, the youths suddely stood up started sloganeering. This sudden protest in the midst of programme, caught everybody off-guard and security personnel tried to pacify them and take them away from the pendal. The slogan shouting continued for next 10 minutes. Finally, cops managed to remove them from the premises.
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