No impact study, Himachal Pradesh refuses clearance to 4 hydro projects.

January 14, 2023

The Himachal Pradesh Forest department has refused to give clearance to four hydro power projects till a cumulative impact assessment (CIA) study on the Ravi River basin is conducted to know their impact on ecology and wildlife of the region.
The department has categorically told the directorate of energy (DoE), the nodal agency for hydro power in the state, that due to non-availability of a CIA study, a pre-condition imposed by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) for clearance under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), “it is not possible to process these cases.”
The four projects, which have been allotted by the state government and proposed to come up on Ravi river in the tribal Bharmour region of Chamba district, are 4.98 MW Ghator Top, 24 MW Jai Bani Mata, 2.5 MW Jay Kartikay and 5MW Rudraveer