The Kerala government has failed to oppose the dilutions proposed to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification by the Union government, ecologist Madhav Gadgil has said.
Responding to the suggestions put forward by the State to the 2020 draft EIA notification, Mr. Gadgil said Kerala should have asked for strengthening the notification, since the State had been experiencing the adverse impact of climate change.
Malayalam version
Kerala should have insisted on obtaining the Malayalam translation of the notification, which was essential to reach the people at grassroots, who would be far more impacted by the proposed modifications, he said. Incidentally, the Supreme Court has asked the Centre to translate the notification in 22 languages of the country.
Mr. Gadgil said several villagers in Karnataka and Kerala, who did not know English or Hindi, had sought details of the proposed notifications.
The State limited its response to two points regarding the mining operations. The government, it seemed, stood with mining mafia and not with the environment or the people even after the devastating landslips at Puthumala, Kavalappara, and Pettimudy.
‘Let women manage quarries’
The government should hand over all quarries in the State to Kudumbashree, the community-based organisation. Women’s groups will be able to manage quarries efficiently as was demonstrated by another women’s self-help group at Mendha village in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, he said.
Mr. Gadgil was also critical of the State’s demand for reinstating the District Environment Impact Assessment Authority, which involved granting environment clearance for mining projects up to five hectares. The National Green Tribunal was not in favour of the district-level committees, he said.
‘The damage is the same’
The ecologist also questioned the State’s silence on the proposal to avoid environmental clearance for the construction of buildings for educational institutions and hospitals measuring up to 1,50,000 sq metres.
“A construction, whether used for educational institution or hospital or shopping complex, causes the same amount of environment damage. How can the State permit such dilutions especially after a government college building at Munnar was destroyed in a landslip,” he asked.
The notification, which was pushed through in the midst of the pandemic, was an objectionable attempt at dismantling the country’s apparatus for environmental protection besides weakening the democratic process.