Kudremukh Villages Plunge Into Darkness: Electrification Denied to Protect Endangered Lion-Tailed Macaques and Uphold Conservation Mandates

A critical decision by the Karnataka State Wildlife Board (KSWB) has effectively extinguished the hopes of numerous villages nestled within the pristine Kudremukh National Park (KNP) for grid electrification. The board, chaired by the Chief Minister, recently rejected a proposal by the Energy Department to extend conventional power lines to these remote settlements, prioritizing the inviolable sanctity of the national park's ecosystem and the survival of its unique wildlife, particularly the endangered lion-tailed macaque.

The Energy Department had put forward an ambitious plan to electrify approximately 118 households across villages like Nemmar, Kabbinale, and Gangamoola, located deep within the KNP.

The proposal even suggested that the Forest Department would bear a significant 70% of the project's cost. However, the Forest Department itself stood firm against the initiative, citing the severe ecological impact it would have. They argued vehemently that the proposed power lines would slice through critical habitats of the lion-tailed macaque (LTM), a primate endemic to the Western Ghats and classified as endangered.

Furthermore, such an intervention would directly contravene explicit Supreme Court orders that safeguard the integrity of national parks and tiger reserves.

Kudremukh National Park, declared a national park in 1987, is not merely a patch of forest; it is a designated tiger reserve and a global biodiversity hotspot within the magnificent Western Ghats.

It serves as a vital watershed for four major rivers – Tunga, Bhadra, Netravathi, and Kumaradhara – and boasts a distinctive shola-grassland ecosystem. Its ecological significance is immense, making it a fortress of biodiversity that requires stringent protection.

The Supreme Court has, on multiple occasions, issued directives prohibiting any new construction, the establishment of power lines, or any other activity that could compromise the ecological balance and wilderness character of such protected areas.

Moreover, a sweeping order from the apex court mandates that states take proactive steps to relocate human settlements out of 'critical tiger habitats,' further reinforcing the legal framework for conservation over development within these zones.

This isn't the first time the issue of power for Kudremukh's villages has come to the fore.

Previous attempts to introduce solar power as an alternative have largely failed due to the region's heavy rainfall and the subsequent challenges in maintaining solar infrastructure. This leaves approximately 1,000 families, spread across some 40 villages within the national park, in a perpetual struggle for basic amenities.

Many of these families have resided here for generations, pre-dating the park's establishment, and their quest for a modern life, including reliable electricity, remains an unfulfilled dream.

The KSWB's decisive rejection underscores the enduring and often painful conflict between human development needs and the imperative of wildlife conservation in India's ecologically sensitive regions.

While the plight of the villagers is undeniably challenging, the decision reaffirms the state's commitment to protecting its natural heritage, particularly in areas designated for the survival of endangered species like the majestic lion-tailed macaque, and upholding the highest legal mandates for environmental protection.