Power project in Sharavathi Valley: Public hearing sidelines thousands of written objections

Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) conducted the public hearing in Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada on September 16 and18, respectively, to obtain the views of the people to the 2000-MW pumped storage project in Sharavathi Valley Lion Tailed Macaque Sanctuary.

While both the physical meetings saw thousands of people waiting to speak up against the project, documents obtained under the Right to Information Act reflect a much higher participation.

Yet, the proceedings of the two events now made available to the public, give space for only 47 people in Shivamogga and 57 in Uttara Kannada district to speak against the project.

A careful reading of the proceedings show the written submissions being relegated to a list of annexures. There is no information with regard to the nature of these submissions, with activists noting that this effectively undermines the participation of people who took their time to write their suggestions and objections.

When the public hearing notices were issued last year seeking suggestions and objections to the project, people were told to participate via “oral/written/email” but the proceedings of the events sideline the thousands of written submissions, prompting activists to demand officials for an overhaul.

12k pages of written submissions

In fact, documents obtained under the Right to information Act show that officials were flooded with written submissions. As per the information provided by the KSPCB’s Karwar regional office, the written submission exceeded a whopping 11,078 pages in Uttara Kannada while the KSPCB Shivamogga regional officer put the number at 948 pages.

Wildlife conservationist G Veeresh, who participated in the hearing at Shivamogga, noted that thousands of people who could not get time to speak have submitted written objections and it was deeply concerning to see that only oral objections get space in the minutes of meeting.

“The KSPCB has a statutory duty under the EIA Notification to consolidate and record all objections — whether submitted orally, in writing, or through email. Public consultation is not a mere procedural formality; it is a democratic safeguard. We demand full transparency regarding how many people submitted objections, how many supported the project, and how many opposed it. The public has a right to know whether every representation was properly acknowledged and considered,” he said.

To a question, KSPCB Member Secretary R Gokul said the Board only facilitates the event.

“Ultimately, it is the district administration which approves the public hearing proceedings. We facilitate the event as per the EIA notification and forward the documents to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change,” he said.

Against the project

An official in Uttara Kannada said most of the written submissions were against the project. “We have not held back any of the submissions. Every page has been forwarded to the department,” he added.

Apart from an online petition which had about 15,000 signatures by the end of September 16, activists and conservationists had held a signature campaign to gather support for their opposition to the project. All these materials were printed and submitted to the officials during the public hearing but do not get a mention in the proceedings.