The Jan Sangrama Parishat has opposed the Sharavathi Underground Pumped Storage Project, citing that it will cause severe destruction to the forests in Sharavathi Valley.
Parishat district president and environmentalist Akhilesh Chipli, in a press release on Thursday, said the project intends to pump water from Gerusoppa reservoir to Talakalale reservoir, against gravity to generate 2000 MW of power.
“The project is unnecessary, and it causes more damage than benefits the public. The State government should drop this project immediately,” he said.
The KPTCL, the project implementing agency, has been claiming that it will not impact the environment. However, the location of the project is part of the Sharavathi Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Sanctuary. The agency has hidden this fact to get clearance for the project, he said.
Mr. Chipli alleged that KPTCL had been in a hurry to take up the project without getting mandatory clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forestry. “The urgency shown to invite tenders for the project has raised doubts over the intentions of the project,” he said.
Earlier in 2017, when the project was proposed, the cost was estimated at ₹4,000 crore. Now it has increased to ₹8,000 crore. “The government is spending such a huge amount only to benefit the corrupt,” he alleged.
