Green reports are faulty,says expert …….Anil Singh
Sindhudurg: Professor Madhav Gadgil,chairman of the ecology expert panel on Western Ghats,heard villagers and officials during his ongoing visit to Konkan.He observed that prima facie there were deficiencies in some of the environment impact assessment reports for the power as well as mining projects in the coastal districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
A distinguished ecologist,Gadgil,who was also involved in the efforts to protect Kerala’s Silent Valley has been on a whirlwind tour of the Western Ghats from Pune to Goa since Monday last week.On Friday,he heard out farmers and fishermen of Golap-Ranpar and Sakhri Nate in Ratnagiri.Gadgil told them to mail him details of how their livelihood was being affected by the decisions of local industries and the government.
Later in the day,he visited Madban,a plateau by the sea that is the site of the proposed Jaitapur mega nuclear power plant (9,900 MW).However,he could not address the 500 villagers who had gathered to hear him as the police had imposed prohibitory orders.Activist Vaishali Patil of Konkan Vinashkari Prakalp Virodhi Samiti told Gadgil that only two of the four gram panchayats affected by the project got the 1,200-page environment assessment report in Marathi just eight days before the public hearing.
One of the objectives of the ecology expert panel is to demarcate areas,which need to be notified as ecologically sensitive,so that they can be declared either no-go zones or restricted development zones.It will also help put together green development packages for the area based on local natural produce,such as cashew nut and pepper.
According to Gadgil,instead of a top-down approach by the government,the people should say what restrictions they want on industries or large development projects in their areas.The state,in turn,can compensate for the lack of development by giving incentives in the form of schemes and training to produce and market local produce.
On Saturday,Gadgil visited Dongerpal village in Sindhudurg district where three mining companies have been given permission to dig up the hills for low-grade iron ore.Retired school teacher Suresh Gavas told Gadgil that the village was famous for its cashew nuts but the environmental impact assessment report said it was a barren area.The damage due to mining was evident in Kalane village on the Goa highway.The entire hillside had been excavated and mounds of earth had buried whatever vegetation was left at the site.
The enthusiastic response of the villagers to the expert panel drew politicians such as Suresh Prabhu,former union energy minister who narrowly lost the Ratnagiri parliamentary constituency to Nilesh Rane,local MLA Deepak Kesarkar from the NCP and Sena MLC G G Uparkar to the public hearing on Saturday.The 14-member panel,which Gadgil heads was appointed by the ministry for environment and forests in February and it is expected to submit a report by March next year after comprehensive consultation with the people and governments of all the five states concerned.
An ecological treasure trove
The Western Ghats refer to the 1,600-km mountain range running from Tapti river on the Gujarat-Maharashtra border to Kanyakumari.Around 30% of the range is under forest cover and the area is recognized as one of the world’s 10 top biodiversity hotspots.This area has one of the world’s highest concentrations of wild relatives of cultivated plants.
The Western Ghats refer to the 1,600-km mountain range running from Tapti river on the Gujarat-Maharashtra border to Kanyakumari.Around 30% of the range is under forest cover and the area is recognized as one of the world’s 10 top biodiversity hotspots.This area has one of the world’s highest concentrations of wild relatives of cultivated plants.
* Professor Madhav Gadgil listens to villagers grievances in Konkan