A group of ministers has decided to shift the proposed site of NTPC's 1980-MW North Karanpura power plant in Jharkhand. The move is expected to save six billion tonnes of coal reserves.
The group of ministers (GoM), headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that met on Thursday evening in New Delhi, decided that the NTPC's plant can be relocated to low coal-bearing areas in the vicinity. On mining in Mahan and Chhatrasal coal blocks in Madhya Pradesh, the panel has asked the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to constitute an expert committee to assess the environmental impact on Rihand dam and report in 10 days.
The GoM is likely to meet again before the Budget to discuss coal and power projects. Besides Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan, the 12-member panel's meeting was attended by Home Minister P Chidambaram, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal among others.