Latest news with #KKrishnankutty
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Time of India
KSEB raises concerns over tourism use of Sholayar and Poringalkuthu hydel project sites
1 2 3 T'puram: Days after engaging an agency to study the tourism potential of the controversial Athirappilly hydel project , Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has raised strong reservations over a proposal to use the Sholayar and the Poringalkuthu hydel project sites for tourism board, however, gave a conditional no objection certificate (NOC) to Kerala Hydel Tourism Centre (KHTC), a venture owned by KSEB, to use the dilapidated quarters at Sholayar for tourism purposes. The board asked KHTC to obtain permission directly from the forest department for using the quarters and Vadakkeppuzha water body before proceeding with the areas coming under the project were forest land leased for the specific purpose of KSEB at Poringal and Sholayar for power stations and allied installations, including the Vadakkeppuzha pumping scheme. The generation of power utilising water at Vadakkeppuzha water body comes to around 10 to 12 MU annually, depending on the inflow from the Vadakkepuzha catchment area. "As a minimum available water level must be maintained for the proposed tourism activities, it will adversely affect the pumping scheme and result in generation loss," said an order issued by KSEB in this per the provisions of the Kerala Forest Act 1961 and Wildlife Protection Act 1972, the activities proposed by KHTC at Vadakkepuzha will be offensive in nature and prior permission from the forest department is mandatory, the order said. "Entry to the Poringalkuthu, Sholayar areas is restricted in the evening hours by forest/state police. Only KSEB employees and vehicles are allowed entry," the order said, adding that such a proposal from KHTC failed to take off in 2015 due to restrictions from the forest move to rebrand the Athirappilly hydel project as a tourism-friendly project has received strong opposition from environmentalists. Power minister K Krishnankutty said the govt would not take unilateral decisions regarding the project.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
No political decision to revive Athirappilly project: Kerala power minister Krishnankutty
1 2 3 4 5 T'puram: Power minister K Krishnankutty said the govt has not taken any policy decision to go ahead with the Athirappilly hydel power project . KSEB is only trying to explore the project site's tourism potential without directly pushing the 163MW controversial hydel project, he said. The minister told TOI that KSEB was exploring the possibility of setting up a couple of weirs, diverting water from the upper regions of the proposed Athirappilly hydel project site and that it was not for electricity generation purposes. "The weirs would help ensure the Athirappilly waterfall remains a year-round spectacle, increasing tourism attraction. The board is only exploring such possibilities to convince the local public regarding the proposed hydel project's sustainable nature," Krishnankutty said. KSEB chairman and managing director Biju Prabhakar has taken the initiative to explore the tourism potential of the Athirappilly project site and nearby areas and engaged a Kozhikode-based agency, Environment Architecture and Human Settlements (C-EARTH), to submit a report on the same. The move, however, is seen as yet another attempt to push the Athirappilly project through the backdoor. Following the queries raised by TOI over the proposed move, the KSEB CMD's office issued a press statement, saying that the move was indeed to explore the tourism potential along with the proposed hydel power project. Prabhakar stated the criticism raised against the project was totally unfounded and the dam would boost tourism and avoid flooding of the Chalakudy river. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Highest Earning College Majors—2025 Edition Best Paying Degrees | Search Ads Learn More Undo The successive govts were unable to go ahead with the Athirappilly power project on account of the protests from greens as well as political parties, including CPI. Since the KSEB move is to increase the project's acceptability, it doesn't require any political clearance from the govt, Krishnankutty said, adding that Kerala should explore more options to utilise the abundant hydel potential of the state if it wants to get out of the over-reliance on power from other states.
