Govt. urged to put 400 kVA Padubidri-Kasaragod energy transmission line underground

The Society for Forest, Environment, and Climate Change, Mangaluru, urged the federal government to put the 115-km-long 400 kVA energy transmission line from Padubidri in Udupi district to Kasaragod in Kerala underground utilizing newest know-how in an effort to save bushes and shield surroundings.

Addressing reporters right here on Saturday, Benedict C. Fernandes, the society’s secretary, mentioned that such a transmission line has been laid underground in Chennai utilizing the most recent know-how.

If the road is put in overhead, about 1.78 lakh bushes, that are in non-public properties, must be felled. In addition, about 3,000 bushes on the federal government land must be minimize down, he mentioned, including that the axing of bushes will have an effect on the surroundings of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, he mentioned.

Mr. Fernandes mentioned that in January, the Forest Department in Dakshina Kannada gave permission for the undertaking proponent to fell bushes on the federal government land. When the society challenged it earlier than the National Green Tribunal (NGT), it stayed the transfer on August 1.

He claimed that the undertaking proponent has obtained solely “in-principle approval” or stage I clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. “Final approval or stage II clearance by the Ministry is required earlier than commencing any work on the bottom,” Mr. Fernandes mentioned.

The secretary claimed that the undertaking proponent has already erected 35 transmission towers even earlier than acquiring stage II clearance.

“No work can start simply by acquiring stage I clearance on the Parivesh portal for tasks that require forest clearance. The stage I clearance signifies that the proposal has been accepted solely in precept,” he claimed.

Mr. Fernandes mentioned that if stage II clearance is obtained, the undertaking proponent has to determine farmers who will lose their land to the undertaking and pay them compensation, as per supplementary pointers issued by the Union Ministry of Power on March 21, 2025. As per the rules, the compensation quantity to be fastened must be the market worth of the land, and this must be determined by a five-member committee headed by the chairman, which, on this case, shall be Deputy Commissioner. “So far no such committee has been shaped,” Mr. Fernandes mentioned.

He expressed concern that the radiation that shall be emitted by the proposed transmission line would create well being points amongst folks dwelling within the neighborhood.