The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) has applied for wildlife clearance from the standing committee for National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) to build a 500 MW hydroelectric project (HEP) inside the buffer zone of the eco-sensitive Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Forest. …
The project is worth about Rs 18.31 billion. It has been in the pipeline for over a decade, its construction never reached full momentum due to environmental concerns. The total land required for the project is 77.9 hectares, of which 47.89 hectares is private land that has already been acquired and 30 hectares of forest land was diverted in Kaducuppa reserve forest and Hiriyashigee reserve forest in the Nilgiris.