Karnataka: Waste-to-energy plant to be shifted

BENGALURU: Following a long-standing opposition against the proposed waste-to-energy plant in Gorur, Magadi taluk of Ramanagara district, the state government has finally decided to close the plant and shift it elsewhere. Preliminary discussions held by local representatives and officials of the government indicate that the plant is likely to be shifted to Nelamanagala in Bengaluru Rural district or to Bengaluru Urban district, where enough land is available to set up the plant.

The decision has brought some relief to the local population, who had staged multiple protests against setting up of the waste to energy plant by a private firm called Satarem Enterprises. The proposed plant was expected to come up at a cost of `287 crore, where around 84 million units of power was expected to be generated by segregating and processing waste from Bengaluru.

Speaking to TNIE, Renuka Prasad, who was part of a delegation that met Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to shift the plant from Gorur, said that the State government has agreed to provide an alternative site for the company. “During the discussion with authorities, two alternative locations have been identified. However, the exact location of where the plant will be shifted is yet to be decided,” he said.Bhrungesh, gram panchayat member of Gorur village, said that the decision to shift the plant was due to the intense protests held by local villagers.

November 2014 clash
Residents of Gorur and nearby villagers had even clashed with the police in November 2014, as the State government had given a go ahead for the project in the area. When protests ensured that the project could not be taken up, former Energy Minister D K Shivakumar tried to pacify the protestors and re-launch the project, which was not successful.