MoEF panel to assess Karnataka's Sharavathi pumped storage project on October 27

Bengaluru: The state government’s proposal for a 2,000 MW power project in the middle of the Sharavathi Valley Lion Tailed Macaque Sanctuary is set to be taken up for assessment by an expert committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) during its meeting scheduled on October 27.

During the first round of assessment of the project in July this year, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) had asked the state government to respond to the suggestions made by the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) on reducing the number of trees proposed to be felled for the project as well as the observations made by the deputy inspector general of forests, MoEF&CC regional office. Meanwhile, the NBWL standing committee has asked a committee comprising its two independent members to visit the project site and submit a report. 

The project has faced vociferous opposition from the residents in the area during the public hearings held last month in Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada. Apart from over 5,000 people submitting written objections, 49,770 people have signed an online petition against the project.

Over the last few months, activists have slowly gained support of the political establishment with Fisheries Minister Mankal Vaidya saying that he has been “opposing it from day one.”