Residents of Talakalale fear displacement again due to Sharavathi pumped storage project
Shivamogga: Residents of Talakalale in Sagar taluk, Shivamogga district, are once again facing the threat of displacement, this time due to the proposed ₹8,644 crore Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydropower Project. The very families whose forefathers were displaced five decades ago by the construction of the Talakalale dam now fear losing their homes, land, and livelihoods all over again.
The project, set to be established in the Simha Balda Singalika Wildlife Sanctuary, aims to generate 2,000 megawatts of power using water from the Talakalale and Gerusoppa reservoirs. If completed, it would be the largest pumped storage project in India. However, for local communities, it has become a source of growing anxiety.
Villagers from Henni, Marathi Camp, Gundibailu, and Jadagallu, located within the sanctuary limits, have reportedly received eviction notices. These areas had become a refuge for many who were earlier displaced by the Talakalale dam.
A team led by the Sagar sub-divisional officer has already begun identifying properties for acquisition. Around 12 homes in Marathi Camp and Gundibailu are being targeted. According to local officials, the National Wildlife Board gave in-principle approval for the project in its 84th Standing Committee meeting held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav. Subsequently, three formal notices have been served to residents.
Local opposition and demands for fair compensation
During a public meeting convened by Sagar MLA Gopalakrishna Belur, villagers expressed serious concerns about the inadequacy of the proposed compensation. Many farmers demanded that compensation be based on crop value rather than mere land area.
Santosh, a resident of Marathi Camp and one of the affected farmers, said, “I have over 500 areca nut trees. If compensation is calculated based on yield, I should be getting nearly ₹2 crore. But officials say this is forest land and we won’t get that much.”
He added that if the government cannot even provide jobs or alternative housing for 11 displaced families in a project worth thousands of crores, then the state’s promise rings hollow. Residents are demanding scientific compensation that includes housing, employment for their children, and protection of existing agricultural land and homes.
Manjunath, another resident, pointed out that the government was not giving them accurate information. “We pay taxes and have title deeds. Still, we are being told to vacate. Eleven households have already received notices,” he said.
Shivanand, the son of Santosh and an SSLC graduate, added that due to financial difficulties, he had to discontinue his education. “We are losing the property built by our ancestors. At night, we can’t even sleep peacefully. Officials have started marking trees around our homes.”
MLA assures employment but fails to convince
MLA Gopalakrishna Belur stated that only around 8 acres of land belonging to local people would be used for the project and that minimal damage would be caused to private property. He assured that affected families would be offered jobs in the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL). However, villagers remain unconvinced, saying they will pursue legal action if their demands are not met.
Environmentalists raise alarm over forest destruction
Environmental groups and activists have also strongly opposed the project. The Singalika Wildlife Sanctuary is home to over 700 lion-tailed macaques, a species not found in such large numbers in any other reserve in India. The project requires 352.77 acres of land, of which 133.81 acres fall under forest area. Conservationists fear that the project will pose a serious threat to biodiversity in the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
