Why an SC-appointed panel is batting for ‘power corridors' for the Great Indian Bustard in Rajasthan and Gujarat

Indian Express

a day ago

A committee appointed by the Supreme Court has proposed dedicated corridors for renewable power lines in Rajasthan and Gujarat in order to protect the Great Indian Bustard (GIB). The committee has suggested that existing lines should be rerouted, and some stretches should be sent underground.
The seven-member committee was set up in March 2024 to suggest steps for the conservation of the critically endangered bird while balancing it with the growth of renewable energy infrastructure in its habitat.
The committee has submitted its recommendations to the Supreme Court, which will take them up next month.
The matter before the top court seeks to bring the GIB and Lesser Florican back from the brink, and to protect them from the danger of collisions with power lines, which contributes to the decline of their population.
Fewer than 150 GIB individuals survive in the wild. Over the years, its population has declined due to hunting, habitat loss, and poaching of their eggs by humans, as well as the preying on their eggs by predators. The birds also have a naturally low rate of reproduction.
Over the past decade, the expansion of renewable energy projects in the bustard habitat has increased the threat. The birds' poor frontal vision and heavy bodies result in their crashing fatally into power transmission lines. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has estimated that the deaths of even 4-5 birds by electrocution every year can lead to the extinction of the GIB within 20 years.
Committee and its mandate
In an order passed on March 21, 2024, a three-judge SC Bench led by then Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud modified an April 2021 order of the court that had imposed blanket directions to bury overhead power lines underground in more than 80,000 sq km in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Both orders were passed in a long-running petition filed by retired bureaucrat M K Ranjitsinh, who has sought protection for GIBs from power lines.
In its 2024 order, the SC noted that the area in which the undergrounding of lines had been directed had great potential for wind and solar energy, which if allowed to remain untapped, would require more coal for power generation.
The Bench said the decision to send overhead lines underground fell in the realm of environmental policy, and tasked the expert committee with finding a balance between conservation of the GIB and plans for renewable energy development.
Specifically, it asked the panel to determine the 'scope, feasibility, and extent' of overhead and underground power lines in GIB priority areas, and to suggest GIB conservation measures. It also asked the committee to engage with stakeholders including environmental bodies, wildlife biologists, local communities, and the energy industry.
Committee's suggestions
In its 2024 order, the SC had recorded the reasons for the Centre's reservations on the large-scale burying of power lines: taking higher voltage lines, especially 60 kV and more, underground would constrain their maintenance, and could lead to transmission losses, reduce efficiency, and pose safety hazards.
The committee is learnt to have proposed 'power corridors' in Rajasthan and Gujarat through which most lines to evacuate power from existing and planned renewable energy projects would pass, reducing the criss-crossing of lines.
It has also proposed that some stretches of existing lines, based on their voltage and proximity to prime GIB habitats or the threats they pose to the birds, should be rerouted via this designated corridor.
These stretches are proposed to be identified by a joint committee of the forest department of the state concerned, the Central Electricity Authority, and WII, based on ecological and technical feasibility.
It is learnt that in Rajasthan, the corridor has been proposed to the south of the Desert National Park to provide east-west connectivity across the 'priority area', which is earmarked for focused conservation of the GIB. The width of the power corridor has been kept at 5 km. Power projects are planned to the west of the bustard priority area.
In Gujarat, two powerline corridors have been proposed – one will aid evacuation of power from wind farms in the Kutch coastal belt; the other is meant for a critical high-voltage 400 kV power line planned in the northern part of the Kutch GIB habitat.
Other mitigation measures
Other measures such as insulating high voltage lines and burying specific sections underground have been proposed.
The committee selected some lines based on the SC's 2021 order and has ordered to bury them underground on an urgent basis. In Rajasthan, 80 km of lines near bustard enclosures and sites of past bustard deaths have been identified for immediate undergrounding. Certain sections in Gujarat too have been identified for undergrounding, insulation, or rerouting.
The SC had recorded three types of GIB habitat areas – priority areas, potential areas and additional important areas – based on reports of Wildlife Institute of India and state forest departments.
The committee has proposed a revised priority area of 14,013 sq km in Rajasthan – retaining the original 13,163-sq-km priority area and adding 850 sq km from the 5,977 sq km of 'additional important areas'. The remaining area has been excluded, given fewer GIB sightings and its importance for future transmission of power.
In Gujarat, the committee has proposed a revised priority area of 740 sq km – up from the existing 500 sq km of priority area. It has proposed that northern parts of priority areas should be excluded due to the fragmentation of the GIB habitat.
An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change.
Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More