New thermal plants to raise the level of pollution in Malwa

With new thermal power plants coming up in the Malwa region, residents of the area are bound to witness the air pollution level further going up as more than 80,000 tonnes of coal would be burnt every day to generate electricity.

While two thermal plants here are functional, four others in the private and public sector have been sanctioned by the state government.

The government had last year formulated the Power Generation Policy to transform Punjab from a power deficit to a power surplus state and to facilitate thermal power plants in the private sector.

Residents of the main town of Bathinda are already crying due to the high level of air pollution being caused by the 440 MW Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) for the past 36 years. Although engineers of the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) claim that the smoke emission of the plant was within the prescribed limits, people take this claim with a pinch of salt.

Read More:http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110827/bathinda.htm#2