Amravati Thermal Power Project is located at village Nandgaonpeth in Amravati district of Maharashtra. The plant is of 1350 MW capacity and is setup by Indiabulls Power Ltd. (IPL.) [1] This project along with many other power plants has been proposed in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. These plants altogether will product 80,000 MW of electricity and have created heavy demands for water from rivers and reservoirs in the districts. |
| Name of conflict: | Amravati Thermal Power Project, Maharashtra, India |
| Country: | India |
| State or province: | Maharashtra |
| Location of conflict: | Village -Nandgaonpeth; District-Amravati |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
| Project details | Amravati Thermal Power Project located in Amaravati district of Maharashtra. It is coal based power plant which generates 1350 MW of power. The land is provided by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation’s (MIDC). The coal is supplied by South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (SECL), Western Coalfields Ltd. (WCL) and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. (MCL). Vidharbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC), Nagpur has approved water allocation 87.6 million cubic meters per annum. According to the company website, the Project has got all necessary environmental clearance from the concerned authorities [1]. |
| Project area: | 546 |
| Type of population | Semi-urban |
| Affected Population: | 125000-150000 (25,000 farmers) |
| Start of the conflict: | 2010 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Vidharbha Irrigation Development Corporation from India Indiabulls Power Limited from India Indiabulls Group from India |
| Relevant government actors: | Government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forest (Government of India), Government of Maharashtra, South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (SECL), Western Coalfields Ltd. (WCL), Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. (MCL), Vidharbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Upper Wardha Paani Bachao Kruti Samiti (a campaign to save water of the Upper Wardha dam), Kisan Ekta Manch, Greenpeace India, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), different political parties and Local Villagers |
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities International ejos Local ejos Landless peasants Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Fisher people |
| Forms of mobilization: | Blockades Boycotts of official procedures/non-participation in official processes Development of a network/collective action Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Objections to the EIA Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches Property damage/arson Strikes |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Food insecurity (crop damage), Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity, Groundwater pollution or depletion Potential: Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil erosion, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Loss of livelihood, Loss of landscape/sense of place, Increase in violence and crime Potential: Land dispossession |
| Project Status | In operation |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Compensation Court decision (failure for environmental justice) New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study Project cancelled |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | Local people, farmers, activists from different political parties have opposed the diversion of water from the Upper Wardha to the project to the thermal power plant. People were afraid that the water diversion would reduce the irrigation potential of Amravati. The district is depending on agriculture and has already facing a severe irrigation crisis. Activists as well as farmers demanded that the farmers should be priorities for water use in agriculture and not for the power plant. Villagers including the local MLAs from the region had written their demands to the Chief Minister to scrap the project [4,7]. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | Vidarbha region, particularly in three districts of Amravati division are severely water short district in Maharastra. These districts are also affected by farmer suicides and rural distress [4]. The state government had diverted more than 80 million cubic metre of water generally used for agriculture from Wardha district to Indiabulls Power Ltd [6]. Even Bombay High Court had recently rejected an application by Vidarbha's farmers to withdraw recent order wherein to upheld allocation of 87.6 million cubic metres of water annually to Indiabulls' thermal power plant [5]. Even during the drought, the government has been favouring power plants in the drought affected regions instead of drinking water for the people. This is a gross violation of farmer's right [7] |
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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| Contributor: | Swapan Kumar Patra |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 1431 |