Centre puts Sharavathy project on hold, warns of 'enormous damage' to biodiversity in Western Ghats
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre has deferred a proposal to divert around 54 hectares of forest land in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats for the 2,000-megawatt Sharavathy Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project in Karnataka after members flagged serious ecological concerns and violations of forest laws.
According to the minutes of the 11th meeting of the Environment Ministry's Forest Advisory Committee held on October 27, the proposed project area lies within the Sharavathy Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Sanctuary, which is located in the central regions of the Western Ghats.
The committee said the project involves the felling of more than 15,000 trees, many of which are endemic to the Western Ghats, one of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots. It said the forest tracts fall under "eco-class 1 and eco-class 3" with canopy densities of 0.5 and 0.2.
The area has "climax forests of tropical wet evergreen, semi-evergreen and shola grasslands", which are "highly vulnerable and complex ecosystems", which, "if destroyed, cannot be restored to their original state".
The minutes said the project site supports Lion-Tailed Macaque, Tiger, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Wild Dogs, King Cobra, Malabar Giant Squirrel and other rare and endemic species.
It referred to a wildlife census that recorded 730 Lion-Tailed Macaques in the Sharavathy Valley Sanctuary and warned that "loss of canopy and habitat would intensify this fragmentation, posing a serious risk to the survival of LTMs".
The panel recorded that the compensatory afforestation site offered by the project proponent will not be able to compensate for the loss of habitat of the Lion-Tailed Macaque and that "wet evergreen forests are complex ecosystems and are quite difficult to replicate".
The committee examined the engineering design and said the project involves two reservoirs, tunnels up to 3.2 km long, excavation to depths of up to 500 metres, and drilling and blasting for underground works.
It said the area falls in Seismic Zone 3 and that the combination of slope cutting, blasting and heavy monsoon rainfall could aggravate landslide and erosion risks.
It warned that such work can be disastrous not only to the ecology of the area but also to human habitations.
The minutes said the Deputy Inspector General of Forests (Central), Regional Office Bengaluru, "has not recommended the proposal" because of its location inside the Sharavathy Valley Sanctuary and the ecological sensitivity of the central Western Ghats.
The Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka also raised objections, warning that implementation of the project can cause "enormous damage" to the flora and fauna of the landscape.
The FAC cited his observation that the ecological fallout far outweighs the economic benefits that may be accrued by commissioning this project.
The committee further said that transmission line routes proposed for the evacuation of power prima facie appear to be in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and that forest clearance for those lines is not clear.
According to the minutes, the committee expressed concern over the proposed compensatory afforestation areas, saying that "the CA sites proposed are ecologically different from the wet evergreen forests being lost."
It said the project proponent must prepare a scientifically designed wildlife mitigation plan and conduct a detailed hydrological study before the proposal can be considered.
The FAC directed that tree felling be avoided or reduced to the bare minimum and that the layout of the project shall be finalised in consultation with the chief wildlife warden and as per the approved wildlife management plan.
After detailed deliberations, the committee decided to defer the proposal and sought additional information and clarifications from the state government and the user agency.
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AI reshaping music, filmmaking in Kannada cinema
Bengaluru: Artificial Intelligence is slowly changing the way music and creativity are produced in the Kannada film industry, raising concerns among musicians, singers and technicians, The New Indian Express reported on Sunday.
Music composer, actor and director V Manohar reportedly said, AI is being used to write lyrics, especially in low-budget movies. Once lyrics are generated, AI can suggest thousands of tunes. It even asks whether the voice should be male or female. With one click, a complete song is ready.
“If this continues, singers and musicians will have less or no work in the coming days. But it may not succeed either. A few years ago, dubbing was allowed and people could watch movies in any language they preferred. But not many took to it as they wanted to watch a movie in the original,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
According to the report, Filmmaker Avinash U Shetty, a National Award winner, said resistance to new technology is not new. Those who resisted shifting from analogue to digital films years ago have now embraced it. The industry is now using only 10% of the AI potential. If it is scaled up, it can do unimaginable things. What we consider bad now, may not be after five years.
Highlighting the cost advantage, Sangamesh, an independent creator reportedly said, he made a three-minute video using AI for just Rs 4,500. Earlier, the same work would have cost nearly Rs 15 lakh. I finished the entire project in three days. The only expense was the AI software subscription, he said.
These days, it has become difficult to differentiate between the real and AI. AI is creating artistes. Scenes like war, big fights and dance can be shot with a lesser number of artistes. Then with the aid of visual effects and AI, you can achieve what you have in mind, he said.
Actor-director D P Raghuram felt that while AI has made an impact on music, it lacks emotional depth. Cinema earlier involved hard work and strong emotional connections. AI can help improve our work, but creativity should remain human, he reportedly said.
As per the report, earlier, Kannada cinema employed hundreds of junior artistes, who not only earned wages but also shared meals on sets and formed lasting bonds with stars like Dr Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh. Today, filmmakers fear that increasing dependence on AI could reduce such human connections, turning creativity into just another automated process.
