Context
- Recently, the Kerala government has granted permission to the Kerala State Electricity Board to obtain the statutory clearances for the Athirappilly hydroelectric project.
- The controversial power project is proposed in the ecologically sensitive Chalakkudy river basin in Thrissur district, Kerala.
Important Facts for Prelims
- The move has evoked strong response from tribal people and ecologists who have been campaigning against it.
- Besides being economically and environmentally unviable, the power project would infringe upon the rights of the Kadar tribe as guaranteed under the Forest Rights Act.
- The Kadar tribes, a designated Scheduled Tribe, are a small group of tribes in Southern India residing in the hilly areas of Thrissur and Palakkad districts of Kerala.