As many as 24 hydro power projects proposed by various states with more than 25 mw capacity, are pending for want of environmental and forest clearances, Minister of State for Power KC Venugopal said today.
 
 Twenty four hydro electric projects (installed capacity above 25 MW), which have been accorded concurrence by the Central Electricity Authority are pending for want of environmental and/or forest clearance, the Minister said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. He said the Power Ministry is also regularly reviewing the status of environment and forest clearances for power projects and are taking up the matter with the Ministry of Environment & Forests for expeditious clearances.
 
 The Minister said 51 hydro electric projects -- having capacity above 25 mw -- aggregating to 13,332 mw capacity have been taken up (under execution) in different states of the country.
 
 Venugopal said the Karnataka government has submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a Rs 1,522.82 hydro power plant at Shivasamudram run-of-the-river power project in Cauvery Basin with an installed capacity of 345 mw to the Central Electricity Authority. 
 
 The DPR is under preliminary scrutiny of Central Electricity Authority, Central Water Commission and Geological Survey of India, he added.