Kerala: Windmills threaten environment in Nilgiri biosphere reserve The windmills of Attapadi in Palakkad district are producing power and generating controversy. With more set to come up in the tribal-dominated area close to the Silent Valley National Park, questions about the eco-friendliness of the project are doing the rounds. Is precious forest being destroyed? Or are they just small patches of greenery that can be sacrificed for 'clean energy'? Suzlon, the largest player in the sector, erects and maintains the windmills for private investors who have large, disposable incomes. A 600KV windmill costs Rs 4 crore and produces on an average 930 units of power a day. At Rs 3.25 a unit, that translates into an income of Rs 11 lakh a year. The attractive part, though, is the 80 per cent depreciation that can be claimed in the first year, which results in savings on income tax. Apparently, no assessment on the impact on environment is needed to set up windmills. Though the windmills are on private land, the roads leading to them are cut through forest and hills, and in some cases the crests of hillocks have been shaved off. This has led to soil erosion and silting of the water bodies. The Attapadi Hills Area Development Society took up the issue and was awarded Rs 4 lakh to re-forest the region and clean up the silt. According to Sholayur panchayat president Sumathi Subramaniam, Suzlon was given permission to set up one windmill, but 14 were erected in the first phase. The company applied for permission for the rest only after the panchayat wrote to it. In the absence of any clear guidelines on 'windmill building fees', the panchayat is getting only Rs 1,000 per windmill. With more windmills coming up, the authorities are hoping that the state government would formulate a policy so that the panchayat gets a steady income. Nearly 28,000 tribals live in the 187 villages of Attapadi and most households do not have access to power. The tribals claim that a lot was promised when the windmills were set up but nothing has materialised. The Kerala State Electricity Board and Suzlon clarified that the power generated by the windmills and power connection to individual households were different issues. The power generated is fed right back into the grid, and if the people want power they have to apply separately. But the tribals argue that the KSEB ignored them while helping the company. "We applied for electricity connections years ago, but they keep making a fuss about putting cables,"saidtheheadofKadampara village. "How did they manage to get the cables ready for the company in such a hurry?"