Breaking silence for the first time since the ash-lifting blockade began, Giridih MP Chandra Prakash Chaudhary on Monday termed the three and half month long protest outside DVC’s Bokaro Thermal and Chandrapura power plants “a movement that delivered nothing.” Speaking to the media at the DVC Director’s Building in Bokaro Thermal, he said everyone involved knew the agitation had yielded no solution, while the ash ponds of both power plants had reached maximum capacity, pushing the Bokaro Thermal unit to the verge of shutdown.
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MP Warned of Power Crisis in Seven Districts
Chaudhary warned that if the plant were forced to stop generation, seven districts that fall under DVC’s command area in Jharkhand would face a serious power shortage. He added that the demands of displaced villagers and transporters could have been settled through proper negotiations instead of choking plant operations. He also blamed e-tendering for allowing outside firms to quote lower transport rates, which, he said, resulted the unrest. He reminded that a district level meeting had been attempted earlier under the Bokaro DC, but it could not take place.
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Said Coal Mafia Dominating System, Promised Continued Intervention
The MP alleged a complete breakdown of law and order in the State, claimed that illegal coal operators were now “controlling the system” and the entire machinery was involved in the trade. Citing his past intervention in scrapping the coal sampling policy at Coal India, he said he was willing to help the protesters again if required, but stressed that all stakeholders must now work within legal boundaries to resolve the transport issue. He asked the DVC’s Head of Project (HOP) to implement decisions taken at the recent Kolkata headquarters meeting and hold talks with the displaced families.
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