India News | Plea in SC Seeks Modification of Its Order on Undergrounding Power Lines to Save Endangered Birds

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking modification of its April 19 order directing the Gujarat and Rajasthan governments to lay undergound the overhead electric cables to help save endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB).

A bench of CJI N V Ramana and justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli agreed to hear the plea after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned it.

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The petition claimed that the order has vast adverse implications for the power sector in India and energy transition away from fossil fuels.

It has urged the court to allow high voltage and extra high voltage lines, i.e. 66 kV and above power lines, in priority GIB habitat to be laid as overhead power lines with installation of appropriate mitigation measures such as bird diverters.

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"Undergrounding high voltage power lines is technically not possible. Undergrounding medium/ low voltage lines over such a large area will lead to high cost of RE (renewable energy) produced from the area, which in turn would badly hurt the cause of RE in the country. Undergrounding in such a large area has not been attempted anywhere globally,” it claimed.

The petition sought a direction for undergrounding of all power transmission lines of up to medium voltage, i.e. up to 33 KV voltage level, passing through priority GIB habitats.

"Allow laying of overhead transmission lines in future outside the priority area with installation of appropriate bird diverters,” it urged the court.

The apex court on April 19 had asked both the states to convert the overhead electric cables into underground powerlines, wherever feasible, within a period of one year.

The bench headed by then Chief Justice S A Bobde also formed a three-member committee to assess the feasibility for laying of the high-voltage underground power line.

The apex court said that in all such cases where it is found feasible to convert the overhead cables into underground powerlines, the same shall be undertaken and completed within a period of one year.

The top court said that the state as well as the central governments have a duty cast to preserve the endangered species and as such the expenses incurred will have to be provided by them either under the schemes available or by earmarking the same in such manner.

With regard to the conservation of the habitat to secure the safety of the eggs laid by the birds, the apex court had also directed that certain areas be fenced and protected from invasion by predators so that the eggs laid in these areas are protected.

The apex court's judgement came on a plea of M K Ranjitsinh, a retired IAS officer, and others, seeking its directions for an urgent emergency response plan to protect and ensure recovery of numbers of GIB and Lesser Florican.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)