Greens, tribespeople protest plans to revive Athirappilly hydel project

Tribal chieftains to meet, likely to pass resolution to resist any move to implement project

- MANOJ VISWANATHAN @ Kochi

KSEB's decision to explore the possibility of reviving the 163MW Athirappilly hydroelectric project has disturbed the tribal community of Vazhachal. The tribespeople feel the Athirappilly project will displace the Kadar community which has already been displaced three times in the name of power projects.

Vazhachal tribal head V K Geetha said chieftains of the nine tribal settlements in the region will meet on May 2 to discuss the issue. The meeting is expected to pass a resolution to resist any move to implement the project, which will then be submitted to Vazhachal Divisional Forest officer (DFO) R Lakshmi.

Meanwhile, environmental activists, including Chalakudy River Protection Forum leader S P Ravi, have come out against the decision to revive the Athirappilly project.

"We received our community forest rights in 2014 and no project can be implemented without our consent," Geetha, who spearheaded the agitation against the project a decade ago, tells TNIE.