PANAJI
The Supreme Court has accepted recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee that the new 440 kv line across the Western Ghats be drawn along the existing 110 kv line and not intrude fresh forest area.
The CEC which had visited Goa in 2020 to examine complaints filed by the Goa Foundation against the three projects -- the railway double tracking, the highway four laning and the new power line, had given its recommendations to the Supreme Court in March ’21 saying that drawing the line along the existing alignment would “help in saving the precious forest cover and wildlife in the ecologically fragile and biodiversity rich Western Ghats.”
“The CEC recommendation of using the 220 kv line alignment for the new 400 kv line alignment has been accepted by the Apex Court today. The Court could not complete discussion on the other two proposals, which will be taken up on a later date,” Goa Foundation director Claude Alvares informed.
“The Court agreed to keep for hearing on another date, the contempt petition against Tamnar for felling of some 3000 trees at Sangod, site of the proposed substation. The Court also adjourned the application of the company for permitting it to obtain a conversion. Earlier, the Court had decided that it would hear the contempt petition before it heard the Tamnar application for the sanad,” Alvares informed.
In its recommendations, the CEC had recommended that “instead of clearing canopy of virgin forest cover along 10.50 km long corridor with 46m ROW in Goa State the proposed 400 kv line should be drawn along the existing 220 kv corridor line in Goa. After establishing 400 kv corridor connectivity between Mapusa and Sangod and 220 kv line between Sangod and Xeldem.”
“This activity in fact is also part of the present project approved by CEA. This course of action will ensure adequate supply of power to the Southern Goa Region when the 100 mw of power now being received from Ramagundam through 220 kv line is temporarily disrupted during the construction phase of the 400 kv line between Narendra and Sangod. Accordingly the project proposal in respect of Karnataka part will be suitably amended so as to make use of the existing 110 / 220 kv line Corridor,” the CEC had recommended.
“This will also ensure that the commitment given by Power Grid and CEA to the Karnataka Government that no further transmission line shall be laid in the area is not violated. Most important of all, this modification in the proposal will help in saving the precious forest cover and wildlife in the ecologically fragile and biodiversity rich Western Ghats,” the CEC had said.
The Goa Tamnar Transmission Project Limited (GTTPL) was envisioned to create an additional source of power for the state of Goa which is currently dependent on the Western grid for its power requirements. From the West, Goa is connected through the 400kv Kolhapur-Mapusa transmission line and from the South, through a single 220 kv transmission line.
Goa Minister Nilesh Cabral had staunchly defended the project saying that the CEC’s recommendations were not practical.
“Right now we are suffering because there is no power intake. We are doing a shutdown, we are giving load shedding. The common man is not suffering, but the industry is suffering which makes me feel bad. Everyday there is a 30 mw shut down for industry. So how can they dismantle the 220 kv line? They are saying that the grid which is coming from Kolhapur should be fed to the south. The grid which is coming from Kolhapur itself is deteriorated. It cannot take excess power. And they are saying that the 220kv line will be shut. It will take three years to restore it. It is not possible. They are talking in the air. You have to be realistic in life. The people of Goa should not suffer. We said that the 110kV line which is there we should dismantle and put a 400 kV line. We are agreeing to that. We are not agreeing to removing both the lines and putting a 400kV line. That is what the CEC is saying,” Cabral had said in comments that were made before the Supreme Court’s order was passed.
