Dadri: UP govt denies buying land

The Uttar Pradesh government claimed on Friday it had not acquired any land at Dadri in Ghaziabad district even as opposition members staged a walkout from the Assembly on the Reliance power project issue.

Replying to supplementaries on a question by BJP members in the Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan said the government "has not acquired even an inch of land at Dadri" and charged the BJP with misleading the people of the state.

Energy Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav said 2,100 acres of land had been made available to Reliance Energy Generation Ltd for the project after being acquired from the farmers at Rs 150 per square yard.

The average circle rate in the area was much lower, he said.

While 60 per cent of the payment was made by the state government, REGL paid the remaining 40

per cent, Yadav said.

According to the state support agreement signed on June 16, 2004 the company would start power production by the year 2011, he said and added the bhumi pujan (ground-breaking ceremony) on the site was performed on Thursday and work would start on the project soon.

BJP members alleged that excess land was given to the company as only 500 acres was sufficient for setting up the 5,000 mw power plant and that the circle rate in the area was Rs 300 per square yard.

BSP members, who joined the BJP, later staged a walkout from the House in protest against government's 'anti-farmer' attitude.

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