Kalasa project: Now, K’taka soil tests in reserved forest

Keri: After completing the soil testing work near the inter-state borders, Karnataka’s team on Wednesday started soil testing inside the reserve forest of the Kankumbi range.
The soil testing site is just few metres away from the proposed site, earliest identified for the Kalasa dam by the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd.
“Today, when I visited the area, the machines were drilling for the soil testing inside the reserve forest. From the work site, the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary’s borders of Surla village is just 300m,” Gajanan Shetye, a wildlife activist from Keri, told TOI.
Though the work site lies in the jurisdiction of Karnataka state, the area has been identified as the reserve forest by Karnataka forest department and doing any sorts of digging and felling of trees or clearing of bushes, need the prior approval from the Union environment ministry, environmentalists said.
The earlier clearance given by the Union environment ministry was kept in abeyance after opposition from the Goa government.
Incidents of wild animals attacking domesticated animals are reported from this area.
When the TOI contacted Pramod Badami, chief engineer of water resources department, he said, “I have informed the executive engineer Dilip Naik to visit the site and inform me accordingly about the status of the work if any is going on at the site.”