Udupi: Union Government Gives Conditional Nod to UPCL Power Line

Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 9: The Green Tribunal of the central government has given conditional permission for drawing power transmission line from Nandikoor in the district to Shantigrama in Hassan district.

This line is being laid by Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) to connect the power generated by Udupi Power Corporation Ltd to the central grid.

The environment and forest clearance given by the union government’s environment and forests department for the purpose had been questioned by Nandikoor Janajaruti Samiti through an appeal. The appeal, which was preferred with the Green Tribunal, a bench functioning under Supreme Court, had named union environment and forest department, Karnataka government, and KPTCL as respondents.

The tribunal, with Justice A S Naidu as the presiding officer and Dr G K Pandey as its member, dismissed the said appeal on March 7. It said that UPCL project aims at building the nation and contributes to the financial capacity of the country. 

In its order, it restrained KPTCL from cutting down any trees in  about 8.3 km of protected forest between tower No. AP 100 to AP 108, and to uproot only minimum number of trees in forest areas through which the power line passes in the Western Ghats, as already permitted.