Govt bulldozes forest dept concerns to push power project in Karnataka's Sharavathi sanctuary

Key suggestions by state wildlife board members deleted from proceedings

Bengaluru: In a big blow to the hopes of conserving the endangered Lion Tailed Macaques (LTM), the State Board of Wildlife has recommended the controversial pumped storage project (PSP) in Sharavathi valley without any of the conditions of the forest department and without the detailed project report (DPR).

The Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) seeks to build the 2,000 MW project in the core area of the Sharavathi LTM Wildlife Sanctuary.

The project requires 352.77 acre and involves felling of 13,756 trees, most of them to build a 12.3-km road that will destroy the habitat of the arboreal LTMs. 

The Board took up the project for a discussion on January 28. Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre, the vice chair of the board, had briefed the media that a “conditional approval” was given to the project with specific directions to reduce the number of trees to be felled for the project to from 15,000 to less than 10,000 and to avoid building surface roads, but drill tunnels to avoid disturbance to the canopy.

However, as per the minutes of the meeting obtained under the RTI Act, the board has recommended the project without the specific conditions laid down by none other than the minister.

Two vague conditions advise the KPCL to cut only the “most essential trees” and provide canopy bridges along the road.

LTMs are confined to the evergreen forests of Western Ghats. A study submitted by researchers from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History in January 2023 estimated the population of the LTMs in the sanctuary at 730. The study also emphasised the need to avoid further fragmentation of the forest and restore the degraded land.

Interestingly, in his report submitted on the Parivesh Portal, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Wildlife, Subhash K Malkhede had laid down a total of 26 conditions. None of them have made their way to the report.

The letter had particularly raised a red flag over the roads. “More than 12,000 of the 13,756 trees enumerated to be felled for the 12.3 km road from Nagarbastikere to Begodi can be saved if the road that is proposed underground is extended to the base of the pump house,” the condition said, adding that the length of the road should be limited to 8 km.

In another condition, the officer had raised concern over the damage that will be caused by the upgradation of the transmission lines needed to evacuate the 2,000 MW power.

To a question, Khandre said some points discussed in the Board may have been dropped, but the department was committed to protect the LTMs.

“We were told that the tunnels as alternative to surface roads are not feasible. However, we have retained the conditions to protect the trees,” he said.

A member of the board told DH that the agenda of the meeting was distributed several days after the meeting was held. “We sat in the meeting without much knowledge. But still managed to raise several concerns. To see none of the concerns have been recorded in the official minutes is disappointing,” the member
added.

The member said the department has recommended the project under pressure.

“The conditions proposed by the department were intact in the draft minutes. However, once the file returned from the chief minister’s office, everything had changed. Even the points of discussion were removed,” he said.

Sagar-based activist Akhilesh Chipli said the Board and the Forest Department had betrayed the trust of the people.

“The Board has failed to do its job. If the conditions were diluted by the chief minister’s office, it’s nothing but the betrayal of democratic values. Then why keep the forest department? Let the chief minister handle all ministries and take all decisions,” he said.