LDF govt comes under attack for reopening Athirappilly project

The Kerala government today said it will go ahead with its plans to revive the controversial Athirappilly hydel project with the Congress hitting out at the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, saying such a move would be a "recipe for ecological disaster".
State Power Minister M M Mani informed the Assembly that since the state was facing a severe power shortage, the government had plans to implement 15 hydel projects, including Athirappilly on the downstream of the Chalakudy river in Thrissur district.
"As the state is facing a severe power shortage, the government is looking at all the options to improve power production. Tapping solar, wind and setting up thermal power stations and hydro power projects, including Athirappilly, is under consideration," Mani said.

The Athirappilly project, mooted years ago, had run into trouble and was kept in abeyance by successive governments due to protests from environmentalists and locals.
The LDF government had decided to revive the project after it came to power in the state in May 2016, Mani said.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the decision was a "recipe for ecological disaster".

Accusing the Kerala government of "playing into the hands of big contractors", he told PTI, "CPM stands for Contractors Party of Marxist."
Ramesh, who had denied a green clearance to the project citing ecological issues during his stint as Environment Minister in the previous UPA government at the Centre, said he would visit Athirappilly to lead the people's movement against the project.

Kerala Congress chief VM Sudheeran also came out against the government's decision to go ahead with the project and claimed that studies had shown there was no water available in the river for the project and also, the cost of power production would be very high if it was implemented.
It would also adversely affect the environment and drinking water supply to over 20 panchayats, he said, adding that the Congress would launch an agitation if the Kerala government went ahead with the project.
The previous LDF government headed by VS Achuthanandan had tried to revive the 163-MW project, planned at the water resource bed of the Chalakudy river.