A group of environmentalists had moved the Karnataka High Court, challenging the State Wildlife Board’s approval for a pumped storage hydroelectric project in the Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary, which is part of the Western Ghats, and a biodiversity hotspot. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu The Karnataka High Court, earlier this month, directed the State government to stop work in the forest area for the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project, until further orders. A group of environmentalists had moved the Court, challenging the State Wildlife Board’s approval for the proposed project in the Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary which is part of the Western Ghats, and a biodiversity hotspot. The Court’s order boosted the morale of the environmentalists, who have been opposing the project since it was proposed in 2017. The Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) proposed the project in the valley of the Sharavathi river, which flows for about 130 km through the Western Ghats before reaching the Arabian sea. The river is already the State’s primary hydel power source, with four major power stations operating in its valley. The KPCL aims to generate 2,000 MW through …