‘Koradi public hearing a sham’: Greens move PM, env ministry

Nagpur: Citizens opposing the expansion of coal-fired Koradi power plant have now written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union environment ministry and other authorities raising their voice against the “illicit and chaotic” public hearing held recently.
Stating that the meeting was held in gross violation of rules, the Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD) in its complaint wrote: “More than 2,000 people were present in the pandal erected by Mahagenco in the plant’s parking space. These people were brought in numbers and told to occupy seats from 8am, because of which there were no seats available for others.

“Most of them had no clue on why they were present. When we asked, some of them said they were present to show their support to local politicians. They were briefed to clap whenever anybody spoke in favour of the project and hoot when somebody spoke against it.”
Calling the hearing staged, the organization further alleged that the scenario created a sense of fear among people. “The most disturbing part was that women were abused by young men and not allowed to speak. Many people left the place out of fear of being attacked. The crowd that was brought in to support the project was very aggressive and narrative of the entire hearing was more focused on employment generation rather than environment,” it stated.
Another complaint filed by environmentalist Anasuya Kale Chhabrani stated that people sitting or standing at the back were assured that the mike will be sent to them, but it never happened. “Some of us who tried to speak were prevented from opposing the project and had to face abusive language. The notice regarding the hearing was not uploaded on the websites of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board or Mahagenco,” stated Chhabrani.
Highlighting more violations, CFSD stated that the project proponent failed to present the necessary documents demonstrating the requisite permissions obtained from Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) for undertaking such a “damaging project”. “The environmental implications, particularly on human lives, warrant thorough scrutiny and accountability. Also, the nine Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) mentioned in the Environment Impact assessment Report (EIA) were not present,” the complaint added.
Stressing that the violations raise strong concerns about the project’s compliance with legal requirements and undermines the integrity of the public hearing, the complainants have demanded that the hearing should be declared void and should be re-organised following all the norms in a “safer environment”.