Hearing a petition filed by Western Ghats Environment Forum, which had moved the High Court challenging several proposed mini-hydel projects in the Uttar Kannada region of Western Ghats, the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice has ordered notice to Department of Energy, Murudeshwar Power Corporation Limited and Swarna Energy Limited.
The petitioners have submitted that the forest in the district is plagued with mini hydel projects which are 137 in number and ten more are in the pipeline.
Mentioning that several rivers take birth in these forests, the petitioners submitted that thousands of acres of land has been submerged due to these power projects, which include Kaiga, Kalinadhi, Sharavathi 1 and 2, the petitioners sought directions to stop construction of the dams and ensure that no more forest land is destroyed.
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