Image for representational purposes.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: Hours ahead of the first of the two public hearings in Shivamogga on Tuesday for the pumped storage project in the Sharavathi Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) sanctuary, more than 14,000 people signed an online petition opposing the project.
The Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) has proposed to build an underground powerhouse between the Talakalale and Gerusoppa dams to generate 2000 MW power. The project requires 352.77 acre, of which 133.81 acre is forest land.
The hearing is scheduled at 11 am at KPCL Officials' Recreation Club, Kargal Post, Sagar Taluk. Sources said a few hundred people are expected to arrive at the venue to present their views, mostly against the project.
The online petition listed 10 reasons to oppose the project, starting with the lack of cumulative impact and carrying capacity studies despite directions from the Foest Advisory Committee on July 30 to failure to disclose crucial details on the use of 18,000 tonnes of industrial explosives and failure to protect monuments.
"The use of 18,000 tons of explosives (HS Code 3602001, LD50 toxicity 1,510 mg/kg), recorded in the Form 1 application (Environment Clearance), is omitted. The resultant muck - estimated at 4.8 MCM - will contain hazardous residues, yet no management plan, toxicological assessment, or leachate analysis is provided, in violation of the Hazardous Waste Rules, 2016," said the petition on change.org signed by 13,630 persons on Monday evening.
The Rs 10,240 crore project has garnered much opposition in the early phase when tenders were awarded to a company even before the project received critical clearances from National Board of Wildlife and Forest Advisory Committee, leading to accusations that it was a contractor-driven work.
The second public hearing in Uttara Kannada district, scheduled on September 18, is expected to draw bigger crowds.