MLA Soumya Reddy has written to Chief Minister BS Yadiyurappa in a letter urging not to allow the Transmission line to pass through West Ghat to provide additional power to the state of Goa.
Karnataka could lose a whopping 177 hectares of biodiversity-rich Western Ghats forest land due to a proposed transmission line between Karnataka and Goa. If the Centre clears the project, this will be another blow to the evergreen forest, which is already facing multiple threats due to linear infrastructure projects all along Karnataka
The 400 kV transmission line will power Goa with an additional source from Chhattisgarh by the Goa-Tamnar Transmission Project Ltd (GTTPL). The lines will pass through Karnataka, wiping out 177 hectares of forest land.
According to sources in the central government, the project requires the consent of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and is awaiting approval from the MoEF&CC.
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According to documents obtained from the Centre, the project was first mooted during 2017 when the Central Electricity Authority under the Ministry of Power made a request for executing ‘Additional 400kV feed to Goa’.
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The transmission line starts from Narendra village in Dharwad by tapping the existing 400kV Narendra line of Power Grid Corporation of India and terminates at 400/200 kV substation at Xeldom in Goa.
The transmission line will pass through Dharwad, Belagavi and Uttara Kannada and South Goa district of Goa, the document says (Source – DH)
Most of the land required is from the Western Ghats of Belagavi and Uttara Kannada District. The route runs through Dandeli Sanctuary, Bhimgad wildlife Sanctuary, Kali Tiger Reserve and Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary.
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MLA has also mentioned that above mentioned Sanctuaries are the home of many wildlifes, including elephant, tiger, leopard, cheetah, hornbill etc.
