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May 28, 2001
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Money > Business Headlines > Report May 28, 2001 |
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In Guhagarh, the majority couldn't care lessS Ravindran Nature is at its best along the 50-kilometre stretch connecting Chiplun, the cultural capital of Konkan, to Guhagarh, which houses the controversial Dabhol Power Project. Mountains dotted with Alphonso mango trees and the lashing Arabian sea make the place an ideal picnic spot. However, along the well-laid out road leading to Guhagarh, odd huts and barren land reveal the sad economic plight of the region. Hopes of the $3-billion power project putting an end to the poverty-ridden life of the people living here seem to be short lived now. Locals today say if Enron was to exit from the controversial power project, there would be only a marginal effect on the region's economy. A few will suffer if the power major chooses to pack its bags. The majority could not care less. Appasaheb Salagre, called Appa by all and a long-time resident of Chiplun running tutorial classes, says, "Initially, there was a spurt in the economy. A number of people found employment in the project. However, the bulk of the 12,000 -odd contract workers were from Bihar, UP, Bijapur (Karnataka) and other regions." The locals are not an educated lot here, says Appa. They could get only low-paid jobs. These jobs too were temporary in nature. "Contract labourers would have lost their jobs once construction of the project was over. This is irrespective of whether Enron decides to stay on or exit," he adds. Concurs Pramod Pednekar, a local journalist with Pudhari, a large-selling Marathi daily, "A large number of Enron-officials in Chiplun gave a fillip to the travel business benefiting several lodges and hotels. Now that the company has its own township, these opportunities too have vanished. However, a number of people used to come to do their marketing in Chiplun which will now be affected. With very few people from Guhagarh employed at the plant, Enron's exit will hit the region's economy by not more than five per cent." Appa adds that a number of locals in Chiplun and Guhagarh had purchased Sumos to carry Enron executives to and fro. These people are yet to repay their loans and hence would be affected. "There are 150 such Sumos. Even if one considers that the Sumo owners have large families, only about 1,000 people will be affected," he adds. The project has its set of supporters too. V S Nathu, the local BJP MLA from Guhagarh says, "Guhagarh, like much of Konkan, is dependent on the `money order' economy. Most people work in Bombay and they send money back home. For the first time, this was set to change (after the Dabhol plant came into being). Power, good roads and plenty of water is now available in the region." He also says several other industries could have mushroomed in due course. Besides, if DPC went ahead with its plans of setting up the LNG terminal, the food processing industry could have also got an impetus. Food processing precisely requires temperatures of minus 59 degrees centigrade, similar to the temperature in which LNG is stored, he adds. Nathu's estimate of families being affected extends beyond Guhagarh. "A total of 12,000 families in Chiplun, Guhagarh, and the adjoining regions of Dapoli and Khed would be affected if Enron exits," he says, adding that DPC has also built a world-class hospital in the region. Yashwant Bait, a leader of the Enron Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti however disagrees. "One, the power purchase agreement is not for selling power in the region. It is for selling power to MSEB. How would industry come into this region as a result? Two, DPC has not done a favour by building a hospital. It was based on the orders of Bombay High Court. The benefits accruing to the local population is minimal as the hospital does not charge concessional rates for locals." Powered by YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO SEE:
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