<p>The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/yettinahole-project">Yettinahole drinking water project</a> may finally get forest clearance to avoid further delay, if the government punishes errant officials and pays the compensation for the unauthorised work in 266.79 acres of forest land.</p>.<p>The Rs 23,251.66-crore project has been taken up in two phases with the lift irrigation works in the first phase declared completed in September 2024. </p><p>Under phase 2, the government has taken up works in five packages that include canal works in Belur taluk (8.55 km), Arsikere taluk (5.18 km) and Tumakuru (2.44 km), for which the Visvesvaraya Jala Nigam Limited (VJNL) had sought 274.31 acres of forest land. </p>.<p>However, unauthorised work taken up on 266.79 acres of forest meant the forest advisory committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) had questioned several actions by the state government agency and also sought a wildlife management plan before considering the proposal for forest diversion. </p>.Yettinahole project: CAG flags delays, financial uncertainty, tender deviations.<p>In its recent meeting, the committee looked into VJNL’s proposal once again and recommended the project for in-principle approval of the central government, with specific conditions and invoked penal provisions provided under the law.</p>.<p>The committee said the first “specific” condition was action against “those responsible” for taking up works without necessary clearances. Secondly, the payment of penal net present value (NPV) for the forest area used in violation of the rules.</p>.<p><strong>Penal NPV</strong></p>.<p>“(The penal NPV) shall be five times the NPV of the forest land plus 12% simple interest,” the committee said, adding that the penal compensatory afforestation rules issued in January 2026 shall be applicable.</p>.<p>The penalty proposed by the state government will be verified by the regional office of MoEF&CC. The VJNL has to restore the forest area used without prior approval and has to bear the cost of reclamation and rehabilitation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The state government has to submit a detailed plan on the matter, the panel said, reiterating its earlier suggestion to implement a wildlife management plan. A forest officer familiar with the matter said the penal provisions will be fixed in the coming months when the project proposal is assessed after the committee’s recommendations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The assessment prior to stage 1 (in-principle) approval will fix the penalty. The government wants to expedite the project. So, we expect to see fast movement of files,” he added. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/yettinahole-project">Yettinahole drinking water project</a> may finally get forest clearance to avoid further delay, if the government punishes errant officials and pays the compensation for the unauthorised work in 266.79 acres of forest land.</p>.<p>The Rs 23,251.66-crore project has been taken up in two phases with the lift irrigation works in the first phase declared completed in September 2024. </p><p>Under phase 2, the government has taken up works in five packages that include canal works in Belur taluk (8.55 km), Arsikere taluk (5.18 km) and Tumakuru (2.44 km), for which the Visvesvaraya Jala Nigam Limited (VJNL) had sought 274.31 acres of forest land. </p>.<p>However, unauthorised work taken up on 266.79 acres of forest meant the forest advisory committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) had questioned several actions by the state government agency and also sought a wildlife management plan before considering the proposal for forest diversion. </p>.Yettinahole project: CAG flags delays, financial uncertainty, tender deviations.<p>In its recent meeting, the committee looked into VJNL’s proposal once again and recommended the project for in-principle approval of the central government, with specific conditions and invoked penal provisions provided under the law.</p>.<p>The committee said the first “specific” condition was action against “those responsible” for taking up works without necessary clearances. Secondly, the payment of penal net present value (NPV) for the forest area used in violation of the rules.</p>.<p><strong>Penal NPV</strong></p>.<p>“(The penal NPV) shall be five times the NPV of the forest land plus 12% simple interest,” the committee said, adding that the penal compensatory afforestation rules issued in January 2026 shall be applicable.</p>.<p>The penalty proposed by the state government will be verified by the regional office of MoEF&CC. The VJNL has to restore the forest area used without prior approval and has to bear the cost of reclamation and rehabilitation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The state government has to submit a detailed plan on the matter, the panel said, reiterating its earlier suggestion to implement a wildlife management plan. A forest officer familiar with the matter said the penal provisions will be fixed in the coming months when the project proposal is assessed after the committee’s recommendations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The assessment prior to stage 1 (in-principle) approval will fix the penalty. The government wants to expedite the project. So, we expect to see fast movement of files,” he added. </p>
