(LiveMint)
Power utility NTPC Ltd has put its 1,320 mw Katwa project on hold even after resolving issues with land acquisition, alleges the West Bengal government, which has demanded an explanation from the central public sector enterprise for transferring key officials to other units.
The project first ran into rough weather when Mamata Banerjee after taking office as chief minister in 2011 refused to acquire land for it. The state had by then already given the power utility around 556 acres to build a new thermal power generating station.
NTPC needed at least 294 acres more to set up two units of 660 mw each at Katwa, but the company was asked to purchase land on its own. In 2015, the state provided around 100 acres more to the project, while NTPC on its own acquired the rest. Still, the project may not materialise in the foreseeable future, say key officials at NTPC and the state government.
