THRiSSUR: Green activists and political parties protesting against the 163 MW hydel power project in Athirapilly have rubbished the statement of Power Minister M M Mani in the Assembly that preliminary works of the Athirapally Dam Project have begun by installing a transformer several kilometers away from the proposed site of the dam located at Vazhachal, upstream of the Athirapally waterfalls. Speaking to DC, V K Geetha, the head of the tribal settlement of Vazhachal and S P Ravi, secretary of the Chalakudy River Protection Samiti said that the power minister was trying to keep plans for the project alive.
According to them, he was citing technical reasons for renewing the environment clearance of the Union Environment and Forest Ministry which lapsed on July 17, by citing that the works for the hydel project had commenced by installing a transformer near the falls in Athirappally in July this year. Both Geetha and Ravi said that they did not take the statement of the minister seriously and if the transformer, which is situated more than six kilometers away from the proposed dam at Vazhachal, was for the hydel project, it was against the norms as the tribal committee (oorukkottam) had not given approval for the project which was mandatory as per the Forest Rights Act.
“This Rs 1,800 cr project cannot solve the issue of power shortage in the state and according to our studies conducted last year, due to the shortage of rainfall, the water in the river is decreasing year after year and the project can produce only 100 million units of power with the actual need of the state pegged at 24,000 million units,” Mr Ravi noted. If the KSEB officials and the minister were keen on going ahead with the project, the greens and tribals would take it up legally, Ravi said.
