Probe forest clearance for Sharavathi underground power project
Shivamogga: Environmental groups and conservation experts have demanded an urgent probe into what they term a “serious violation” of forest and wildlife laws by the Karnataka Power Corporation (KPC) in connection with the proposed Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project in Shivamogga district.
They allege that KPC, which was allotted nearly two lakh acres of forest land over 60 years ago for the Sharavathi hydropower project near Jog and Kargal, continues to hold about 20,000 acres of unused forest land that has remained degraded and unprotected for decades. Despite this, the Forest Department has reportedly granted KPC fresh forest clearance for the new Sharavathi underground project — a move activists say is illegal.
According to environmentalists, the unutilised KPC land along the Linganamakki reservoir’s 40–50 km stretch has seen extensive encroachment, tree felling, and soil erosion.
Parts of this land overlap with the Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary and fall within ecologically sensitive zones. A massive landslide occurred in this area three years ago, highlighting the fragility of the terrain.
Activists allege that by retaining the land and failing to hand it back to the Forest Department, KPC has violated the Forest Conservation Act (1980), the Wildlife Protection Act, and the Biological Diversity Act.
They have urged both the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Karnataka Forest Department to cancel the forest clearance granted for the new project, and to immediately reclaim the 20,000 acres of unused land from KPC.
“The area harbours rare and endangered tree species such as Hale Mara, Miristica, and Ashoka, which need urgent protection,” said an activist from Shivamogga.
Environmental experts, including Dr. T.V. Ramachandra of the Indian Institute of Science and Ananth Hegde Ashisar, former chairperson of the Western Ghats Task Force, have also petitioned the government to withdraw the clearance and initiate a detailed investigation.