[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
DAM-L LS: Environmentalists opposed to Bedti Project (fwd)
----- Forwarded message from owner-irn-narmada@netvista.net -----
From owner-irn-narmada@netvista.net Tue Nov 14 19:04:13 2000
X-UIDL: a8206cba8bd0cc75ef4fab10bc63691e
Return-Path: <owner-irn-narmada@netvista.net>
Received: from DaVinci.NetVista.net (mjdomo@mail.netvista.net [206.170.46.10])
by lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca (8.8.7/8.8.8) with ESMTP id TAA04092
for <dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca>; Tue, 14 Nov 2000 19:04:12 -0500 (EST)
From: owner-irn-narmada@netvista.net
Received: [by DaVinci.NetVista.net (8.10.0/8.8.8) id eAENZXH03284
for irn-narmada-list; Tue, 14 Nov 2000 15:35:33 -0800 (PST)
(envelope-from owner-irn-narmada@netvista.net)]
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 15:35:33 -0800 (PST)
Message-Id: <200011142335.eAENZXH03284@DaVinci.NetVista.net>
subject: LS: Environmentalists opposed to Bedti Project
Sender: owner-irn-narmada@netvista.net
Precedence: bulk
Environmentalists opposed to Bedti Project
By R.S.Habbu
The Hindu, Nov. 13, 2000
KARWAR, NOV. 12. Magod, a remote village in Yellapur taluk, is in the news
again. It was here that the karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL)
planned to build a 111-metre high dam across the Bedti river to generate
power, as early as in 1978-79. However, the project was opposed time and
again by the villagers and environmental groups on the ground that it would
damage the ecology of Bedti Valley, which was know for its rich bio-
diversity and displace a large number of families. Now again,
environmentalists are up in arms against the move of the KPCL to take up
the project.
The Bedti-Aghanashini Valley Protection-Committee headed by Sri
Gangadharendra Saraswati Swamiji of Sri Swarnavalli Math has organised a
rally of villagers on November 14 at Magod to oppose the Bedti project. Mr.
Anna Hazare well-known social activist and reformer will participate in the
rally.
According to Mr. Anam Hegde Asisar, Secretary of Bedti- Aghanashini Valley
Protection-Committee, the swamiji will camp at Chandaguli Temple on the
banks of the Bedti on November 13 and offer a special pooja at the Sri
Vinayaka Temple there before attending the rally the next day.
The history of anti-Bedti project movement can be traced to 1980- 1981. A
prolonged agitation followed by a seminar on the Bedti, its valley and its
ecological assessment, forced the then Chief Minister, the late Gundu Rao,
to stay the implementation of the project.
But in 1992, when the KPCL revived its earlier proposal to build the dam,
the Bedti-Aghanashini Valley Protection Committee was formed under the
guidance of Sri Swarnavalli Swamiji.
A mammoth rally was held at Magod in September 1992 to protest against the
establishment of the Bedti Hydel Project, which was expected to submerge
10,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land. The swamiji held a
padayatra for five days through the villages in the valley to create
awareness among the villagers.
The Union Ministry for Environment and Forests withdrew its approval to
build the project after a delegation, led by Mr. Ramakrishna Hegde, Gundu
Rao, Mr. H.D.Deve Gowda, Mr. R.V.Deshpande and Mr. Dhananjay Kumar, met the
Union Minister in October 1992.
Then again the KPCL gave a new proposal in which the height of the dam was
brought down to 77 metres.
In 1995-96, the KPCL again suggested a run-of-the river scheme and formed a
committee headed by Mr. Chelvaraj, who was an adviser to the U.N. Under the
scheme, 16 mini-dams were proposed across the Bedti at different points.
The Government signed a memorandum of understanding with private companies
to build six mini dams, but environmentalists opposed the project again
pointing out that it would also cause ecological imbalance in the valley. A
meeting between the promoters of the project and the environmental groups
ended in a chaos.
On October 24, 1997, a rally was organised at Agsur village near Ankola to
oppose the scheme. As a result, the Government cancelled the MoU with
private companies to build the project.
Mr. Hegde said the KPCL had not given up the Bedti Project. It has now
finalised another proposal to establish two generators with an installed
capacity of 150 MW each. Moreover, it proposes to augment the Kali Hydel
project by diverting the waters from the Bedti to the Tattihalla Reservoir
by building a dam across the Bedti at Kirvatti village.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to majordomo@netvista.net
with no subject and the following text in the body of the message
"unsubscribe irn-narmada".
----- End of forwarded message from owner-irn-narmada@netvista.net -----