OREANDA-NEWS. July 14, 2011. Tata Power, India’s largest integrated private power player, is proposing to set up a 1,600-MW (2 X 800MW) imported coal-based supercritical thermal power plant at Dehrand and Shahapur villages, in Alibaug taluka (Raigad district), Maharashtra. In this regard, an agreement was signed today with the state government of Maharashtra, for the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) package for this project.

Maharashtra State Rehabilitation Authority has approved the R&R package for the project-affected families (PAFs) based on the Maharashtra Project Affected Person Rehabilitation Act 1999 and the National R&R policy 2007, with additional features, and is one of the best prevailing R&R packages offered for similar projects.

All statutory clearances required to start the project have been obtained including a clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Land required for the project is about 461 hectares and is currently being acquired through the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. So far, more than 50 per cent of the land has been acquired and compensation to PAFs is fully paid.

The company will be importing eco-friendly coal from Indonesia. Tata Power has been associated with the prosperity of western Maharashtra and Mumbai for more than 90 years with reliable and quality power supply, thus building a legacy of trust and superior service.

In line with the Tata group’s philosophy of improving the quality of life of the communities around its areas of operation, Tata Power started its community development initiatives in 2008-09. The programme was kick-started with computer-assisted learning with the aim to create awareness and impart computer education to primary and secondary schoolchildren studying in these villages.

Tata Power also joined hands with Pratham, a well-known NGO in the field of education and child rights, to conceptualise and implement the programme. Today, over 408 schoolchildren have been sensitised.