Karnataka government has proposed a 1000 MW coal fired thermal power plant at Chamalapura, H.D.Kote taluk, Mysore district in early 2007. The project was proposed to built with a public-private partnership model. It was to be coordinated by the Power Company of Karnataka Ltd(PCKL), a Special Purpose Vehicle of the State Government. This region with its verdant agricultural lands is sandwiched between the Kabini and Cauvery rivers, and has a wide network of lakes. There are about 80 lakes (perennial and non perennial) lying within 8 km radius of Chamalapura. The proposed power plant is expected to result in land acquisition of 3000 acres (including 600 odd acres of forest lands) and displace at least 13,000 people, in Chamalapura & its neighboring villages.

Chamalapura, the epicenter of the group of villages proposed as a site for the thermal power plant. In addition to the loss of rich agricultural lands, displacement of people and adverse impact on the ground water table in the region, the power plant, if set up, would threaten two crucial wildlife habitats- Rajiv Gandhi National Park at Nagarhole is about 14 km away and Bandipur National Park is a mere 30 km from the project site. Right from the beginning, this proposal was met with stiff resistance from project affected people, environmentalists and social action groups [1].

Cutting across socio-economic barriers and urban-rural divide, the agitations were conducted independently by several civil society organisations at different levels, with contonuous vigils at and around the project site, street demonstrations, rasta rook in Mysore etc. [6]. Peaceful protestors were also breaks up, arrested and charged under criminal laws. There were lectures and seminars conducted in Mysore by intellectuals and activists, documentary films made by creative artists, students’ protests, meetings organised between village folk and city folk making common cause and explaining the environmental ill-effects of a mega power plant, and meetings to raise public awareness about the social and environmental ill-effects of the project. There were petitions to all levels of government, and a formal petition was made on October 19, 2007, to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), cogently arguing that the project was quite unnecessary and undesirable. People lobbied with elected representatives, and delegations went to Bangalore to argue with government officials and political figures. A very significant event was a huge rally of around 5000 people at the Town Hall in Mysore city centre on September 12, 2007, with leaders of all political parties and groupings excepting, of course, the ruling party at that time, and many intellectuals. Even some religious leaders lent support to the agitation. And the local media covered all aspects of the agitations. An apolitical alliance of agitating organisations and individuals was formed and named as the Chamalapura Ushnavidyut Sthavara Virodhi Horata Samithi (CUSVHS) [6].

As a result of the continued protests, in late 2008, the Karnataka Power Minister announced that the power plant would not be constructed. As a result of this victory, the CUSVHS decided to erect a granite stone table (Vijayagallu) in July 2010, next to a Malleshwara temple on a hill close to Chamalapura [6]. The stone is engraved with a simple message of not undertaking any destructive, anti-people projects in the future [7]. 

The Government had decided to implement three thermal power projects of 1,000 MW each in Gulbarga, Belgaum and Chamalapura. The project was convienced in early 2007 [5]. On 08 August 2007, the Power Company of Karnataka Ltd (PCKL) issued a Global Invitation for Request for Qualification (RFQ), inviting bids for setting up a 1000 MW power plant at Chamalapura. Bids from a number of companies including Reliance Power and Tatas are said to have been received in response to the RFQ, according to newspapers [1]. The power plant was proposed to be set up under the BOO (Build, Own and Operate) model, as a public-private partnership and mooted by agencies of the Karnataka government [3].