YET another case of neighbourhood concerns about pollution and development. The Environment Appellate Authority (EAA) has passed an order May 6, directing the Chemplast Sanmar Ltd., Mettur, to obtain fresh clearance for its captive thermal power plant project.

In an indication of the state of affairs in the Power Ministry, even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's dream project, the 750-MW Bongaigaon power project in Assam, is in a state of neglect after he laid the foundation in January 2006. Work on the Rs. 3,000-crore project being executed by the National Thermal Power Corporation is yet to take off. It was only after Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh cracked the whip last week did the NTPC begin civil works at the site. Personal initiative

The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has appealed to the power ministry to grant letter of awards (LoAs) for coal linkages to large size thermal projects due to be commissioned during the first two years of the 12th plan. CEA has argued that an early issuance of LoA would ensure timely coal linkages and thereby commissioning of projects as per the time schedule.

The Power Ministry seems to have faltered in its first month of the crucial 2008-09 financial year. It announced on Thursday that contrary to expectations, the target of addition to power generating capacity for April 2008 will be missed. The Ministry had set a target of 310 MW for April of which 250 MW has already been commissioned. However, the shortfall has been primarily due to the delay in commissioning of the phase-I of the Valuthur combined cycle gas-based power project expansion being executed by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) with a capacity of 59.8 MW.

THE Centre on Thursday approved the setting up of two coal-based thermal power project units at Tuticorin that will add 1,000 MW to the southern grid. Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, Union I&B Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi said the Cabinet approved the setting up of 2X500 MW coal-based thermal power project at Tuticorin, to be executed by the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) in joint venture with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB).

If the power department is to be believed, the regular interruptions in power supply that have been plaguing the city in the last few days are likely to stop from Wednesday. Till late in the afternoon on Tuesday, large parts of the city faced power cuts ranging from 15 minutes to almost an hour because of continuous low frequency in the Northern Grid. However, officials said that some shut power plants will start generating again from Tuesday.

Come summer and most of the States in the country go through a period of power cuts or unscheduled load shedding to bridge the gap between peak demand and supply. The targets for power generation during the last two five-year Plans have just not been met, and the chasm between power generation and demand has widened. A booming economy has led to increased power consumption and a higher peak hour demand. The offer of free power to the agriculture sector and a populist subsidy for domestic consumers have ensured that the demand for electricity from two large sections of users can only rise.

As Delhi's temperature nears the 40-degree mark, the city is bracing for an uncomfortable summer. On Monday

Shortage of coal supply to power stations could make electricity supply situation worse this summer. "The coal supply position to thermal power stations in the country is not comfortable,' Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Political will has a big role to play if we are to save our planet. Why is it we cannot find a single green politician in India? It took just a small glass bowl to bring home the message of global warming. Its mouth covered with a thin plastic, the bowl containing some soil and humus was home to a plant. Like earth is our home. The bowl had to be placed in sunlight once in a while for a few minutes and that was all the plant needed to stay alive. It was a self-sustaining system. Like earth has been.