PANAJI
Opponents including scientists have raised objection to proponents of the Tamnar power project seeking environmental clearances in a piece-meal fashion.
“Clearances for the railway expansion and the transmission line projects are being sought in a piecemeal manner, which is a typical strategy used to create fait accompli situations by project proponents," said research scientist Girish Punjabi who has extensively studied the environment impact assessments of this project.
Earlier in mid-November some 39 scientists from Goa and Karnataka. the two States whose protected forests are threatened, had written to the MoEF&CC demanding a study of the cumulative impact assessment between the two States before any clearances are granted.
Another 100-odd scientists from across India had also written to the MoEF&CC expressing similar concerns.
Punjabi meanwhile said, there is a definite need for cumulative impact assessments for such projects where more than one lakh trees are to be felled in the two States.
"The scale of fragmentation will severely affect habitat connectivity for tigers, elephants and biodiversity if all projects are given the go-ahead without understanding the real impact on the eco-sensitive central Western Ghats,” Punjabi added.
Meanwhile, the 'Amche Mollem' citizens group said the Electricity Authority minutes show the alignment was initially proposed through Kolhapur.
"The Mollem line came in suddenly as another option despite warning of damage to forests and wildlife sanctuary," the group said in a statement.
Originally, land was to be made available at Xeldem but suddenly shifted to Sangod, where Tamnar spent Rs 8-crores to buy 10 hectares of thickly forested land.
"There is a Supreme Court ban on conversion of land in excess of one hectare and with canopy density of above 10 per-cent," the statement said, adding that the proposed sub-station site covers 10 hectares area and a canopy cover of over 80 per-cent.
The Tamnar power project is one of the three projects threatening protected forests at Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park.
They are also being opposed by a sustained agitation launched by students, greens, wildlife researchers and academicians ever since these were among 40-odd across the Nation to get the National Board for Wildlife nod dubiously in a video-conferencing meet during the lockdown in April.
