MARGAO: In a major boost to Goa’s environmentalists, the Karnataka government has rejected the implementation of the Goa-Tamnar 400 KV quad transmission line linear project within the Western Ghats (Karnataka region) and has directed the officials to recommend an alternative line outside the protected area through non-forested areas instead.
This was ordered by Karnataka’s government’s Forest, Ecology, and Environment Minister, Eshwar Khandre, whose office rejected the proposal sent by senior officials of Karnataka’s Forest Department to divert forest land in favour of power lines.
In addition, the Minister also ordered the serving of show-cause notice to those Forest Department officials who had previously recommended the project.
In this regard, the Karnataka Forest Department’s Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) sent a letter to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Head of Forest Force, PCCF (HoFF), earlier this month, stating that the proposed diversion of forests should be rejected and the powerlines should be realigned along non-forest areas.
It further stated that, in the future, such proposals should be treated with caution at the preliminary stage itself, given the imperatives of conservation and forest protection for posterity.
“Henceforth, the department shall take very strict action on projects like these in the larger interests of forest, environment, and wildlife conservation for the future generation,” said the ACS in that letter.
That same communication also directed the PCCF to serve show-cause notice to the officials from the forest department and seek explanations on their stance as to why they had recommended the diversion of forest land despite the project entailing large-scale felling of trees and forest destruction.
While the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) of Canara Circle and Dharwad CCF had recommended the project, the Belgaum CCF had rejected the proposal, citing ecological destruction and how the transmission lines would pass through the elephant corridor.
Finally, the proposal to divert 174.65 hectares of forest was filed by PCCF, based on the view of the ground officer, before Karnataka’s ACS, Forest Department, for approval under the Forest Act 1980.
These power people think they come from God: Claude
Team Herald
MARGAO: Goa Foundation (GF), the petitioner in the Supreme Court against the three linear projects, criticised the Goa Forest Department, while reacting to the latest development.
“For Tamnar, the problem they now face with the denial of their route alignment by Karnataka till it enters Goa is quite serious. But Tamnar never did due diligence. The conviction these ‘power people’ have is that they come from God; they are bringing us power, and we should be grateful,” said GF Director,
Claude Alvares.
“They were probably aware that the last time the Karnataka Power Corporation attempted to take its power lines across the Western Ghats from Kaiga, they faced so much opposition and so much delay because of it that they finally resolved never again to cross the Western Ghats. This is recorded in the Supreme Court's order on the Tamnar alignment through the Mollem Wildlife Sanctuary. Nobody expected Tamnar to crash in like a bull in a room full of China. But they did,”
said Alvares.
“Now that a scheme that was supposed to get completed in 2021 is 3 years late, the economic viability has gone out the window, and there is a serious possibility that Tamnar will wash its hands off the project entirely,” Alvares added.
He then trained his guns on the State’s Forest Department.
“The Goa government’s commitment to the conservation of trees and forests in the State is almost negative. The clearest example is the (alleged) illegal permit given to Tamnar to fell nearly 3,000 trees at Sangod, the site of the proposed sub-station, under the provisions of the Goa Preservation of Trees Act (PTA). The forest department knew the proposal required clearance under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA). However, its officers actually assisted Tamnar to bypass the FCA and apply instead under the PTA, which is under the control of the state government,” said Alvares.
“After Goa Foundation filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court, Tamnar quit Sangod and moved to Dharbhandora. We have always held that the Tamnar alignment through Goa was decided by Tamnar, and it did not bother the company whether it went through forest areas or not because the company was confident Goa's toothless forest department would support all its proposals. And it did. All Tamnar proposals for cutting through forest areas or for felling trees on private lands were speedily entertained and granted,” said Alvares.
“The worst part of the deal was the proposal (also approved) to do compensatory afforestation for the trees cut in Karwar and other parts of Karnataka. So Goa would give money to Karnataka to do the reforestation, even though Karnataka itself had not met its own reforestation goals! Quite ridiculous! The forest department was never like this earlier. At one time, it had a fearsome reputation,” Alvares added.
“We can only hope that one day the forest department will return to its former glory and that its outstanding officers, whether from Goa or out, will stick their necks out to protect Goa's irreplaceable natural vegetation, whether in Mollem, Assagao, or the streets of Siolim,” Alvares concluded.