Did Adani Power receive 1,050 acres of land at throwaway rate of just Rs 1 per for lease in Bihar? Congress makes BIG claim
By Analiza Pathak
Copyright india
The Congress party on Monday accused the Adani Group of getting land in Bihar at throwaway rates for its new power project. At a press conference in New Delhi Congress leader Pawan Khera said that Adani Power Limited has been given 1050 acres of land in Pirpainti Bhagalpur district for just Rs. 1 per year along with 10 lakh trees on the same land.
Khera alleged that farmers in Bhagalpur were being pressured and threatened to give up their land for the project. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the thermal power plant earlier in the day.
According to Congress the land – which includes trees like mango litchi and teak – has been leased to Adani Power for 33 years at the same rate of Rs. 1 per year.
The project is for a 2400 MW thermal power plant at Pirpainti in Bhagalpur Khera claimed.
At the press conference Pawan Khera said the Pirpainti power plant was first announced in the Union Budget where the central government had claimed it would build the project itself. “Later the government backed out and handed it over to Adani” he alleged.
So far neither the central government the Bihar government nor the Adani Group has responded to these charges.
Khera further alleged: “This is a case of getting everything for nothing. Land trees and coal have all been handed to the Adani group. The power plant built using Bihar’s land and resources will charge the people of the state Rs 6.075 per unit of electricity while in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh the rate is Rs 3 to 5. This is double exploitation of Bihar’s people.”
While the state government has described much of the acquired land as barren locals argue that it is fertile farmland with fruit crops that are both profitable and climate-resilient. These crops they say have provided families with steady income for years.
Earlier this month Prime Minister Modi inaugurated projects worth Rs 40000 crore in Bihar including the Rs 25000-crore 2400 MW Pirpainti thermal power plant. Promoted as the largest private sector investment in Bihar the project is said to feature ultra-supercritical technology. But villagers say the development threatens their livelihoods while the company gains massive benefits at negligible land cost.
