Athirappilly Hydroelectric project

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.

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