State changes tack, seeks revised proposal for Goa-Tamnar power line
Under increasing pressure, the state govt has asked New Delhi-based Goa-Tamnar Transmission Project Ltd to resubmit its proposal with an alternative alignment aimed at minimising tree felling.
The firm had submitted a proposal seeking diversion of 174.6 hectares of forest land in Dharwad, Haliyal, and Dandeli for a 400Kv quad transmission line. But in March last year, forest minister Eshwar Khandre rejected the proposal, while directing the additional chief secretary (forests) to issue notices to all forest officials who recommended the project.
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Now, in a U-turn, the ACS (forests), on instructions from Khandre, has directed principal chief conservator of forests (head of the forest force) to ask the firm to submit a revised proposal incorporating an alternative alignment and the latest technology to minimise tree felling. Subsequently, PCCF (forest conservation) wrote to chief conservators of forests (CCFs) of Belagavi, Dharwad, and Kanara circles on the issue.
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Recently, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar had also personally met Bhupendra Yadav, Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, and demanded speedy approval for the Kalasa-Banduri project along with several other projects awaiting forest clearance.
This sudden change in stand has caught conservationists by surprise especially since CM Siddaramaiah wrote to Prime Minister Modi in Sept 2024, refusing permission for the Goa-Tamnar project until Goa lifts its objections to the Kalasa-Banduri project.
"Be it the railway proposal or power transmission line, the govt should not yield to pressure from anyone," said a conservation activist from Dandeli. "Given the area's susceptibility to landslides and climate change, the state must not allow diversion of such huge tract of forest land in an ecologically sensitive region like Western Ghats. The govt must not soften its stand."
However, Khandre insisted that there is no change in his govt's stand. "We have only directed the user agency to submit a fresh proposal with an alternative alignment so that not many trees are felled," he said. "If Goa gives its nod for Kalasa-Banduri project, we may be forced to approve the transmission project. In anticipation of such a scenario, we want to ensure that our flora and fauna is not burdened."
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