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The government was going ahead with the Norochcholai Coal Fired Power Plant which was an urgent need of the country to augment the supply of electricity and also was going ahead with the Upper Kotmale hydro electric project with some changes proposed by the CWC, Deputy Minister of Power, Mahindananda Aluthgamage told Parliament on Tuesday (5).

He was replying to an adjournment motion proposed by Puttalam District SLMC member Abdul Bais, to change the site of the Norochcholai coal fired electricity generation plant. Bais said that the Universities of Katubedda and Peradeniya as well as the Central Environmental Authority had objected to the project. But the CEB officials had misled the President and the Government.

Bais said he would mobilise 300,000 people to hold a mass protest against the project if the government went ahead with the project.

Replying on behalf of the government Deputy Minister Aluthgamage charged the opposition of representing drug smugglers in the Puttalam sea who were afraid the coal power plant would bring in additional security to the sea coast area at the expense of their criminal activities would be stopped. There was no environmental damage to the locality or its environs. The government would go ahead with the plans as the need of the country was urgent and could not be postponed. In India too there were so many coal power plants adding to the national grid. Changing the site would not be possible as the project will be delayed by at least two or three more years.

He said that the opposition was trying to mislead the House but the project was a feasible one which was considered a high priority.