Kerala will write to the Centre seeking permission to start work on the Athirappally hydro-electric project in Thrissur district.
The State Cabinet took the decision in this regard on Wednesday against the background of notice issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests proposing cancellation of the environmental clearance granted for the project.
The notice issued early this month under the Environment (Protection) Act asked the State Electricity Board to show the cause why the environmental clearance granted to the project should not be revoked.
It said that it had come to the Ministry’s notice that project would lead to loss of valuable biodiversity and affect the primitive Kadar tribes in the project area.
The Ministry had cleared the163 MW project in the the Chalakkudy River in 2007 amid protests from environmental activists. The State government is maintaining that it had the right to proceed with the work on the project as the mandatory clearances had been obtained.
