MoEF fissures may boost Sharavathi hydel project

Bengaluru: The regional office of the Union Environment Ministry has trashed a report by its own officer who recommended rejecting the pumped storage project (PSP) in the Sharavathy Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) sanctuary in the Western Ghats, revealing fissures over the issue.

The 2000 MW project proposed by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) involves pumping water between two dams to generate power. The two dams will be connected through tunnels, which will be built by drilling and blasting in the critically sensitive area of the Western Ghats.

Despite opposition from people, the Rs 10,200-crore project has been pushed through the state forest department amid red flags by the field officers and a technical report on the impact on wildlife, including the LTM. Even the State Board of Wildlife (SBWL) cleared the project without looking into the detailed project report (DPR).

In March, the state government sought permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to go ahead with the project. The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) had asked the regional officer of the ministry to look into the project and provide a detailed site inspection report, which requires 352.77 acres, including 133.81 acres within the LTM sanctuary.

In her report dated May 19, Praneetha Paul, Deputy Inspector General of Forests, MoEF&CC Regional Office, listed 15 reasons for rejecting the project after visiting the area where the work is proposed. She also detailed several violations within the existing power transmission lines running from Gerusoppa to Talaguppa.

The major reasons listed by Praneetha were the felling of over 15,000 trees in a dense forest whose canopy was essential for the survival of the LTMs. The site has the single largest population of LTMs (730 individuals) and the project would result in further fragmentation and isolation of LTMs; the slope cuts, blasting, drilling and tree felling would make the area vulnerable to landslides.

"The project can be disastrous not only to the ecology of the area but also to human habitations in the area," she noted.

Further, the officer noted that the KPCL and the state government have failed to provide full details of the project. The project does not clearly state the modus operandi of power evacuation. The report noted that the existing transmission line from Gerusoppa and Talaguppa appears to be in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

"As the ecological fallout far outweighs the economic benefits that may be accrued by commissioning the project, it is recommended that the project should not be approved," she said.

However, Praneetha's report was completely sidelined by MoEF&CC Deputy Director General of Forests, S Senthil Kumar. In his single-page recommendation, Kumar cited the recommendation of the Karnataka wildlife officers to endorse the project.

To a question, Kumar told DH that his recommendation doesn't mean rejection of the report by his subordinate officer. "I have given my report. She has given hers. We will send both the reports to the ministry," he said.

Sagar-based activist Akhilesh Chipli said the recommendation by the DDGF was prima facie wrong and ill-intentioned. He noted the matter pertains to the forest division but the DDGF has referred to the wildlife division of the state government just to overlook the report of an officer from his own division.

"The wildlife clearance is a separate proposal which will be considered by the National Wildlife Board. Here we have an officer who seems to be desperate to give green signal to the project. First, the state rejected the reports of deputy conservators of forests, forced clearance from the forest department and the wildlife board without disclosing the detailed project report and now even the central officer's report is thrown to the bin," he said.

Chipli alleged that the entire episode shows that the project was driven by the contractor mafia. "The project was awarded to a company which has donated profusely to major political parties. The state and the Centre have joined hands in endorsing it," he claimed.