Kolkata: Construction of the 1320MW thermal power plant at Katwa will begin from next September, a senior official of the the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) today said.
NTPC chairman Arup Roy Chowdhury, who met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today in this connection, said construction of the project will start in September as the land-related hurdles were over after farmers agreed to sell the requisite 150 acres of land needed for it.
"It will take four years' time to finish the first phase of the 660MW," he said.
Incidentally, the Corporation already has around 570-acre of land in its possession.
The proposed Rs 8,000-crore project was first conceived by West Bengal Power Development Corporation but could not be executed due to land acquisition related issues. It was later handed over to the NTPC.
The Prime Minister said it was a misconception that people in government are not willing to work for the country.
"In a government set-up, most officials would like to do something for the country. They are ready to work. This is what I can say from my experience as the Prime Minister in the last fifteen days," Modi said.
Referring to this year's Lok Sabha elections, Modi said "they were not elections of arithmetic. They were elections of hopes and aspirations. And we have seen the results. For the first time since independence, we saw a non-Congress government coming to power with full majority without coalition.
"The people have given a clear signal to the political parties and all parties should understand these signals. The electorate doesn't agree with the old style of politics which was based on caste, class," Modi said.
"The major reason for these results was the country's youth voters who have transcended the boundaries and who have started working for the country's betterment, for freedom from corruption and speedier development," the Prime Minister said, adding people had entrusted him with a big responsibility and he would fulfil their aspirations.
