Author: PPD Team Date: 20/03/2025
The Sillahalla Ecology and Social Protection Association (SESPA) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to scrap the 2,000 MW Sillahalla Hydel Power Project, citing concerns about the fragile ecology of the Nilgiris.
The project, estimated to cost Rs 69.14 billion, is planned by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) in two stages.
SESPA has written to Chief Minister M K Stalin, warning of environmental damage and livelihood loss.
The letter precedes a public consultation on March 20 at the Kundha EB office, organized by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. SESPA noted that Stalin had opposed the project in 2013 under then-Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa but is now overseeing its execution.
Residents from 25 villages, including Denadu, Bembetti, and Balacola, argue that the project will harm their livelihoods and the ecosystem. It involves two dams and a 10-km tunnel, potentially submerging 1,000 acres of farmland and 500 acres of forest, affecting 3,000 farmers.
SESPA also flagged compensation issues. Many affected farmers hold ‘joint patta’ land, complicating payouts, while some landowners are still awaiting compensation from past road projects.
SESPA president M Sivalingam emphasized that the Nilgiris, part of the protected Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is an ecologically sensitive area. The association suggests repurposing the region’s existing ten dams for pumped hydro storage instead.
Despite these concerns, progress on the project continues. In January, Arihant Drillings Private Limited was selected as the lowest bidder for geotechnical investigations at the lower dam axis for Stage I of the project. The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had already recommended granting Terms of Reference (ToR) for the project in October 2019.
As opposition grows, the project’s future remains uncertain.