Deccan Herald

Mysore, Jun 30: Nagarjuna company, which is trying to set up a thermal power plant in the Nandikuru village in Udupi district, has now set its eyes on the Kudremukh National Park.

The State Government’s Energy department has given permission to Nagarjuna’s Lanco Mid Power Private Limited Company to set up wind power mills in the protected forest region in the Manikya hill range coming under the Kudremukh National Park limits that includes the Narasimha mountain range.

At a meeting held on June 13, the power projects distribution committee headed by Energy department principal secretary Dilip Rao had given permission to implement five wind power projects in the state. Among these May Lanco Wind Power having its head quarters in Hyderabad’s Nagarjuna Hill has bagged one.

While the other companies have got permission to set up the wind power projects in Bagevadi of Belgaum district, Gokak, Tumkur and Chamarajnagar, the Lanco company is determined to set up the project in the western ghats’  protected forest range in Chikmagalur and Dakshina Kannada districts. It has planned to produce 156 mega watt power.

However, what is surprising is the permission given by Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDEL) to set up wind power in the protected national reserve forest range. After the approval of the KREDEL officials for the topography map, it is now before the Energy department for its approval.

“When there is clear instructions not to give permission to dig borewell even for drinking water in the area which has rich bio diversity, how could the Energy department give permission or how could the committee expect the forest department to give permission is really surprising.

Destroying  forest

If wind power projects are set up in plain lands then it can be called environment friendly. But if the same kind of projects are set up in the dense forests of western ghats then it cannot be envirnoment friendly.

The reason--to set up wind mills in the hilly areas a minimum of 50 meter long and wide concrete platform is needed to be build.

The massive towers, generators and the machines with gear boxes have to be lifted with the help of trawlers. To shift thus at least 10 mtr to 12 mtr width roads need to be laid. The boulders and stones on the way needs to be blasted with dynamite. Apart from this a substation building, permanent quarters for staff and guest houses have to be built.

Again for drawing high tension wires to transmit 66 KV or 110 KV power some more trees have to be felled.
Just thinking of the damage that 260 wind mills which Nagarjuna company plans to set up in the protected forest range is quite frightening. Hence a question worth asking is, is it worth the effort to set up such a power project  which will destroy the forest life and cause enormous environment damage.

Earlier, a Denmark based company NEG Micon India had got permission from the government to set up wind power project to produce 80 mega watt power. Chikmagalur’s environmentalist had gone to the courts and the lower courts have upheld their arguments. When the company took the issue to the High Court it did not even get a stay order.

With so much at stake, and after permission has already been given at the official level, will Energy Minister H D Revanna also give his permission? Has the issue been brought to his notice at all? are the questions that beg answers.