Hearing on Ennore TPS postponed

CHENNAI: Amid the opposition by the activists, Tangedco and TNPCB postponed a public hearing for the 660 MW Ennore Thermal Power Station expansion project, which was scheduled to be held on Thursday morning.

According to the Tangedco and TNPCB sources, the meeting was postponed due to COVID-19 situation. As many as 40 city-based groups, including North Chennai residents, environmental groups, fishermen and youth groups, recently appealed to the Chief Minister seeking its postponement until COVID cases come down.

Until Wednesday night, Tangedco and TNPCB officials were making arrangements to conduct the meeting. Intimations to the stakeholders were sent on Thursday morning, a few hours before the schedule.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, the activists and residents said that the number of COVID cases is rising steeply in the city. “From low of 605 cases on December 27, cases had risen to 2,481 on January 6—the date on which the advertisement postponing the public hearing was put out. As of January 11, the number of cases is 2.5 times more. It is highly unlikely that the wave will subside by January 13. In any case, the government shouldn’t organise any large congregations that will set a bad example and potentially aggravate the situation,” the letter had said.

Pointing to the higher caseload and a lower rate of vaccination, they appealed to the CM to direct the Chennai district administration to indefinitely postpone the public hearing scheduled for January 13 and schedule it after normally is restored in the city.