Environmentalists raise concerns over Sharavathi project ahead of NBWL meeting
Bengaluru: Environmentalists and experts have voiced strong opposition to the Karnataka government’s proposed 2,000MW pumped storage hydropower project in the ecologically sensitive Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary, ahead of a key meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) scheduled for Wednesday.
Those opposing the project include conservationists, experts and officials from the Karnataka forest department and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), as reported by The New Indian Express.
Living Earth Foundation (Leaf), an environment advocacy group, has submitted a formal objection to the member secretary of the standing committee for NBWL, highlighting anomalies in the project cleared by the Karnataka State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) on March 4. The group noted the that since the area is a protected ESZ, major hydro projects are prohibited.
“The November 6, 2023, ESZ notification said that establishing a pumped storage hydro power project within a notified ESZ of the wildlife sanctuary to harness 2000MW power is prohibited as per law. Neither SBWL nor NBWL should approve the project,” TNIE quoted Sreeja Chakraborty, managing director of Leaf, as saying.
The state’s energy department is looking out to utilise the existing Talakalale reservoir as the upper reservoir and Gerusoppa as the lower reservoir. To proceed, the project would require 52 hectares of forest land and the felling of around 15,000 trees.
“We are not against development. It is the sensitive location which is a concern. In May 2025, NBWL cleared the proposal to use 1.1479ha of forest land in Gudekote Sloth Bear Sanctuary to lay 33kV of interconnecting underground transmission lines for a 600MW wind project by JSW Renewable Energy Vijayanagar Limited,” TNIE quoted an SBWL member as saying.
Energy department officials have defended the proposal, stating that it is a pumped storage system and not a conventional electricity generation project. “The project uses hydro electricity. Two reservoirs are already present,” they said.
However, legal and environmental experts argue that the project's impact on the region—part of the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats—has not been thoroughly assessed.
“The proposal also listed that a three-month study was done. But a year-long impact assessment study is needed as power will be generated all year round. NBWL should look into all this as the area is prone to landslides due to the heavy rainfall it receives, and is a sensitive region of the Western Ghats,” TNIE quoted a legal expert as saying.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
MYAS launches quiz on national flag, 25 top-scorers to get trip to Siachen with Mandaviya
New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI): The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has launched an online quiz on the national flag and 25 top-scoring participants in the age bracket of 21 to 29 will get an opportunity to visit Siachen with Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
The quiz, according to the ministry, will "foster patriotism and enhance awareness about the Indian National Flag."
"This online quiz, hosted on the MYBharat portal (mybharat.gov.in), invites all citizen to participate and test their knowledge about the Tricolour," the ministry stated.
It will consist of multiple-choice questions and all contestants will be awarded an e-certificate.
"As a grand incentive, 25 top-scoring participants will be selected for a remarkable opportunity to visit Siachen in the company of the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya," the ministry said.
"The selection of winners for the Siachen visit will be limited to youth between the ages of 21 and 29. The final selection of the 25 winners will be conducted through a computer-based lottery system from the pool of top scorers," it added.
