Centre rejects acquisition of 423 acres of forest land for Yettinahole project

BENGALURU: The much-awaited Yettinahole project has faced a setback as the central government has refused to approve the use of 423 acres of forest land. The Forest Advisory Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) has denied permission for the additional forest land use.

The state government had submitted a proposal for approval of 423 acres of forest land use for the Yettinahole drinking water project, which aims to supply drinking water to the dry districts.

The project, which is estimated to cost Rs 22,000 crore, requires the use of forest land for the construction of a gravity canal. The state government had submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in March, seeking permission to use 432 acres of forest land in Hassan and Tumakuru districts for the purpose.

A team of officials led by DIG-Forests Pranita Paul had conducted a site visit and submitted a report. The Forest Advisory Committee has recommended that the state government rectify the lapses and provide a suitable explanation before approving the additional forest land use.

In a meeting held on June 26 in New Delhi, the committee discussed the proposal and noted that the project authorities had used forest land without obtaining prior approval from the Centre. The committee directed that disciplinary action be taken against the officials who violated the rules and imposed a fine.

The project, which aims to harness 24 tmcft of water from the Yettinahole in the Western Ghats, had been approved in 2016 for the use of 13.93 hectares of forest with 33 conditions. However, most of the conditions were not complied with, and the project has faced criticism from experts and environmentalists.

The National Green Tribunal’s monitoring team had submitted a report in 2019, highlighting that landslides and soil erosion had occurred during the construction work, but no action has been taken to prevent soil erosion. In addition, more forest land has been used than approved. Many houses have been damaged due to the work. The expert team had also pointed out that no compensation has been given to the victims.