MUZAFFARGARH: The price of land for a coal power project in Mahmoodkot announced by a committee of the Punjab government was recently rejected by the Kot Addu Power Company (Kapco).

A source in Kapco said the company would most likely shift the project to Mauza Rakh Khanpur – that they even visited on Sunday -- where public land was easily available. The company has reportedly started developing a feasibility report for constructing the plant here.

Last week, the committee, which is headed by provincial minister Haroon Sultan Bukhari, had announced at a public gathering in Budh village that they could sell the land for Rs5 million per acre, and several land owners had expressed their willingness to District Coordination Officer (DCO) Hafiz Shaukat Ali for selling their land for the project. But during a meeting at the DCO office late on Friday, Kapco -- the principal client of the land -- refused the price.

A source privy to the meeting said Kapco officials said they would only pay Rs2m per acre, the same that was paid in the case of Qadirabad coal power project. Upon this, Minister Bukhari and other committee members that included local lawmakers exchanged words with Kapco officials and told them to wind up the proposed project.

At the meeting, the officials said if they have to pay Rs5m per acre then they would not purchase the proposed 300 acres, but 50 to 100 only. The company also asked the committee to take responsibility for smooth transfer of land, which the committee refused. It asked Kapco to directly contact land owners.

Thousands of people in Mauza Budh have been opposing construction of coal-fired plants there due to rising pollution levels from the Muzaffargarh Thermal Power Plant, AES Lal Pir Power Plant, Kapco Power Plant, Pakistan Arab Refinery Company Refinery and an a nuclear power plant under construction all in the radius of 30km.

A ‘people’s tribunal’ on coal power plants was held on Sunday at Mauza Sipra where locals provided testimonies. Their concerns included allegedly forcible land acquisition and human rights violations in attempts to build power plants against their wishes.

The tribunal was attended by over 150 people. They expressed concerns over the potential damage to environment and health by the power plants in an area already affected. It was attended by people of union council chairman, activists and other prominent members of the community.

The tribunal also passed a resolution that demanded immediate halt to planned construction of coal power plants in the area, initiation of investigations by the government into violations of environmental standards agreed at the time of the construction of AES power plant, the Chinese government and investment companies stop financing of power plants in order to comply with their commitments to address climate change in international conventions, the Punjab government conduct a comprehensive health survey to assess the disastrous effects on health already caused by industrial infrastructure in the area, urged human rights organisations to undertake a fact-finding investigative report regarding grave human rights violations by police and other government departments involved in ongoing attempts to build the coal power plants, a policy be framed to build all hazardous industry in Siraiki Wasaib while allocating and spending major finances in Lahore be abandoned.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2016