BENGALURU: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday met Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi, and sought his intervention in expediting wildlife clearance for the proposed Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project and Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Yadav, Shivakumar said he had also discussed issues related to sharing of Mahadayi water. He said he had explained Karnataka’s position from a legal perspective and officials had also been briefed about it. The Union minister reportedly said he would convene a meeting of chief ministers of the three states to discuss the Mahadayi dispute, Shivakumar said.
During the meeting at Paryavaran Bhavan, the CM discussed issues concerning Karnataka, including the proposed declaration of Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), based on recommendations of the Kasturirangan Committee. He urged the Centre not to finalise the seventh draft notification until the state government completes a physical survey and submits the report.
The state has sought early consideration of the two project proposals by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL), which are awaiting clearance.
The 2,000-MW Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project has been considered and deferred at several meetings of the committee. At its 89th meeting on February 28, 2026, the committee had sought clarifications from the state and user agency on issues raised by its technical committee, along with a report from the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.
The Karnataka government said it has addressed queries and submitted the required documents, including the NIAS report, and sought an early decision on the proposal.
‘Defer W Ghats notification’
Shivakumar also pressed for deferment of the seventh draft notification, dated July 27, 2026, on declaring the Western Ghats as an ESA. The state government has argued that the notification should not be finalised until its high-level committee submits its report and a physical survey is completed within a year. It also sought consultation with the state before the Centre takes further steps.
The CM had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 25, requesting that the notification be kept pending until the state completes the exercise. The state government has also sought removal of Eco Cane Sugar Energy Limited from the eco-sensitive zone, arguing that the factory was established before 2016 and its inclusion would affect livelihoods.
According to the state, more than 500 workers and 5,000 families depend on the factory. The meeting comes amid Karnataka’s efforts to secure environmental clearances for major infrastructure projects while seeking changes to proposed restrictions that the state says could affect development and industrial activity.
