The Hindu Business Line : Jindal's clarification on water supply to alumina refinery

Supply base
Water will not be drawn from Raiwada or Yeleru reservoir.
State Govt says supply will come from Greater Visakha Municipal Corp Godavari project.
Corporations says co has to pay Rs 86,04,66,880 for the water required (8 mgd).

Visakhapatnam June 3 Jindal South-West Aluminium Ltd has in a statement issued here made it known to the public that there need not be any apprehensions that the setting up of alumina refinery in the S.Kota mandal of Vizianagaram district will have an adverse impact on surface water, or groundwater, levels in the vicinity. The public hearing on the proposed refinery is to be held on Monday.

The company issued the clarification here on Saturday evening, in view of the statements issued by Samata, a voluntary organisation, the Human Rights Forum and some of the Telugu Desam leaders that the water required for the proposed alumina refinery (8 mgd) would be drawn from Raiwada reservoir, or Yeleru reservoir, adversely affecting the interests of the farmers and people in nearby villages.

The company clarified that the State Government had communicated to it, in a letter dated May 28, that the Godavari water would be supplied to it from the Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation Godavari project. Therefore, there was no room for any apprehensions that the refinery would deplete the water sources in the vicinity, it added.

Mr Mukhesh Kumar Meena, the Commissioner of the Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation, in a letter informed the Vice-President and Project Head of the Jindal South-West Aluminium Ltd that Rs 86,04,66,880 would have to paid by the company, in accordance with the revised tariff, for the water required (8 mgd) for its 1.4-million-tonnes-per-year alumina refinery at S.Kota.

Earlier, Mr G. Srinivasa Rao, the Telugu Desam leader, at a press meet on Saturday morning criticised the State Government for "sacrificing the interests of farmers in the area and allocating Raiwada waters to the project."

He was in particular critical of Mr K. Ramakrishna, the Commercial Taxes Minister, for his "double standards and double talk" on the issue.

In separate statements, the Human Rights Forum and Samata also criticised the State Government for "misleading people" on the issue and attempting to conduct the public hearing "in a haphazard, undemocratic manner." Both the organisations raised the issue of water supply to the refinery.

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