The Electricity Minister Aryadan Muhammed has invited the ire from the environmental and social organizations for his statement for the advocating the Pathrakadavu hydel project in the buffer zone of the Silent Valley National Park.
Speaking at a public meeting at Alanallur near here on Sunday the Minister said that the State government is ready to take up the Pathrakadvu hydel project to solve the power problem of the State.
In a joint statement here on Monday the Jana Jagratha, a people’s movement, Bharathapuzha Samrakshan Samithy, Malampuzha Dam Protection Committee, Palakkad Munnot and Solidarity Youth Movement have condemned the statement of the Minister for creating an unnecessary controversy of a project that was abandoned both by the Central and State governments.
After that the area was also made part of the buffer zone of Silent Valley National Park, the unique rain forest described as a gene pool of rare flora and fauna.
In the 1980s Pathrakadavu was proposed as an alternative to the Silent Valley project.
But when it was found that both projects are located almost in the same area there were strong opposition to Pathrakadavu project resulting in abandoning it by the State government too, the statement said.
In another statement the Kerala Forest Protective Staff Association here on Monday has also criticised the Electricity Minister for his statement for taking up Pathrakadavu hydel project in Silent Valley.
The Secretary of the Association K. Jayakumar has said that the Silent Valley and Pathrakadavu projects are one and the same.
He said that no government will be allowed to take up projects in Pooyamkutty, Athirapally and Pathrakdavu that will destroy the ecology and biodiversity of these sensitive areas of the State.
