Centre says yes to Athirapally project in Kerala
the Kerala State Electricity Board is hopeful that the Athirapally Hydro Electric Project in the state's Trissur district will be revived. The Union ministry of Environment and Forests on July 19 cleared the board's proposal to build a 163-mw dam on the Chalakudy river. The clearance has sparked protests from environmentalists and scientists, who say the ministry has sounded the death knell to a one-of its-kind riparian ecosystem in Kerala. They also fear it will affect 138.6 ha of forestland, dry up the Athirapally waterfall and affect tribal families living in the area. There has been a long-standing debate over the project's feasibility (see: See saw