Karnataka High Court stays KPCL survey in Sharavathi valley

Bengaluru: In a victory to the environmentalists and the citizens fighting to protect the Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) sanctuary in Sharavathi valley, the Karnataka High Court on Friday stayed the geothermal survey undertaken by the State government in the protected area. The Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) launched a study to ascertain if the 2000 MW underground pump storage hydro-electric project was feasible. Sreeja Chakraborty is the advocate for the petitioner Edward Santosh Martin, a Ballari-based conservationist who questioned the legality of carrying out work by the KPCL inside the sanctuary. Martin filed a writ petition, WP 9762/2020, against the KPCL's ongoing survey and geotechnical investigation for the project.

Commenting over the project, a retired Indian Forest Officer (IFS) said, "If the project goes ahead all villages downstream of Jog, Honnavara taluk of Uttara Kannada district will be affected by landslides and flooding. This will also impact fishing communities downstream. Impact of floods and droughts by triggering climatic variations in agriculture could permanently harm the pattern of local rains and river flow, and can substantially reduce the water availability to the multiple hydel projects which are already functioning in the river valley."

The copy of the letter dated January 2018 read that the Additional Chief Secretary to the government (Dept of Forest) asked for exemption of the power project to the Ministry of Forest, even though the project site came under the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), as per the then draft final notification.

The official papers reveal that even though the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Sagar division, did not recommend the permission to the KPCL to carry out survey and geotechnical investigation in Kargal territorial range of Sagar division since it involved the formation of road inside forest which needed the clearance of forest land, the Chief Conservator of Forest, Shimoga circle, gave clearance to the project saying that the user agency would not fell any trees.L