We have the moral responsibility to pass on a safe world to the next generation. Ecologically sustainable development is the call of the day. The Copenhagen fiasco stares at us and questions our own set of standards and values. What we expect USA or other developed nations to do, so that the rich and powerful should also be equally responsible, we do not make our own rich and famous accountable. We are a nation where we favour the rich over the poor. The Haves over the Have Nots. We make our school kids slog out in rallies parading to save the environment and save water and save forest. We fine and harass small time factory owners for the effluent disposal systems and revoke the licenses and we unashamedly turn a blind eye when the rich and powerful molest our environment.
As a nation we spend billions for various environmental, conservation and allied programs. We let our industrialists blindly chase profits and turn a blind eye to the environment and at the same time spend billions of the tax payer’s money in protection programs. Public participation is the best way to tackle environmental protection. Environmental protection and climate change are no more vague probabilities but harsh realities. We rob the earth of natural resources and consequently suffer. Water we drink is not pure. We install water purifiers and reverse osmosis process enabling water cleansers but in the end these high tech procedures eventually rob the water off the essential minerals too. We pay a price for molesting our environment. And thus environment is more of a public responsibility than anything else. The loss to environment is much more than a few billion rupees. Do we have to be strong powerful and rich to protect environment? Not necessarily. We just need to be united and focused. Villagers of Chandrapur in Maharashtra recently proved this. They launched a public movement. The public awareness was so intense that the politicians of the region were left with no option but to support the movement. Except for one or two Members of Parliaments with concrete interest in the project, all supported the public movement that was aimed at saving a tiger reserve from the clutches of an industrialist.
Chandrapur in Maharashtra houses the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. Right now it has about 45 tigers. The beautiful dense forest, Junona, a tiny hamlet 15km east of Chandrapur tucked in the old and pristine forests of the district was in celebration mood some time ago since the forests had got a new tiger family: a tigress with three cubs; and if the villagers are to be believed, the robust male (perhaps the father of the cubs) was keeping them company. Had it not been for the aware villagers, these small cubs would not have lived to enjoy the forest. The region is rich with natural resources. Most of the trees in the forest fall in endangered species. There are 300 species of trees, 35 species of shrubs, 16 species of bamboo and 21 varieties of climbers. Totally there are over 300 different varieties of flora in this amazing forest. The Tadoba tiger reserve is one of the oldest tiger sanctuaries of India. It is Maharashtra’s largest sanctuary spread over about 623 kilometers of area. Besides this, Tadoba Tiger Reserve is a home for rare Indian wildlife like, Leopards, Sloth Bears, Gaur(Indian Bison), Wild Dogs, Wild Boar, Hyenas, Civet and Jungle cats, Flying Squirrel and many species of Indian deer like Sambar, Cheetal, Nilgai, and Barking Deer. Tadoba is also an ornithologist’s paradise with a varied diversity of aquatic birdlife, and Raptors ex. Grey Headed Fish Eagle.
As a nation we spend billions for various environmental, conservation and allied programs. We let our industrialists blindly chase profits and turn a blind eye to the environment and at the same time spend billions of the tax payer’s money in protection programs. Public participation is the best way to tackle environmental protection. Environmental protection and climate change are no more vague probabilities but harsh realities. We rob the earth of natural resources and consequently suffer. Water we drink is not pure. We install water purifiers and reverse osmosis process enabling water cleansers but in the end these high tech procedures eventually rob the water off the essential minerals too. We pay a price for molesting our environment. And thus environment is more of a public responsibility than anything else. The loss to environment is much more than a few billion rupees. Do we have to be strong powerful and rich to protect environment? Not necessarily. We just need to be united and focused. Villagers of Chandrapur in Maharashtra recently proved this. They launched a public movement. The public awareness was so intense that the politicians of the region were left with no option but to support the movement. Except for one or two Members of Parliaments with concrete interest in the project, all supported the public movement that was aimed at saving a tiger reserve from the clutches of an industrialist.
Chandrapur in Maharashtra houses the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. Right now it has about 45 tigers. The beautiful dense forest, Junona, a tiny hamlet 15km east of Chandrapur tucked in the old and pristine forests of the district was in celebration mood some time ago since the forests had got a new tiger family: a tigress with three cubs; and if the villagers are to be believed, the robust male (perhaps the father of the cubs) was keeping them company. Had it not been for the aware villagers, these small cubs would not have lived to enjoy the forest. The region is rich with natural resources. Most of the trees in the forest fall in endangered species. There are 300 species of trees, 35 species of shrubs, 16 species of bamboo and 21 varieties of climbers. Totally there are over 300 different varieties of flora in this amazing forest. The Tadoba tiger reserve is one of the oldest tiger sanctuaries of India. It is Maharashtra’s largest sanctuary spread over about 623 kilometers of area. Besides this, Tadoba Tiger Reserve is a home for rare Indian wildlife like, Leopards, Sloth Bears, Gaur(Indian Bison), Wild Dogs, Wild Boar, Hyenas, Civet and Jungle cats, Flying Squirrel and many species of Indian deer like Sambar, Cheetal, Nilgai, and Barking Deer. Tadoba is also an ornithologist’s paradise with a varied diversity of aquatic birdlife, and Raptors ex. Grey Headed Fish Eagle.
Profits matter more than plain trees or tigers to businessmen. One Gautam Adani smelt this gold mine. He is known for “managing” things which most cannot. So though in the past companies like ACC cement and Nippon Denro Ispat Limited were rejected permission, this Gautam Adani could manage it. He scientifically tackled the issue and managed the Sarpanch, the head of the local self government and other forest officials at ground level. Adani wanted to set up a 1320 mw power plant. You cannot have a power plant without fuel supply. Coal is the fuel. This forest area abounds in coal supply. So Adani Mining private limited, a sister concern of the Adani Power Company bagged 1750-ha of captive coalmine blocks in Lohara (west) and Lohara extension for its thermal power project in Gondia. This forest area is so rich that it has estimated 170 million tons of coal deposits, of which 140 Mt is extractable. Man and machine would go to the depths of 350 meters to extract the coal round the clock for next 40 years. That was the plan. 90 % of the coal mine falls under this rich forest. Coal mining requires constant blasting and it is not possible for any flora fauna to survive under these adverse conditions. This $ 1.70 billion Adani project would have given some local jobs. It was showcased as the biggest economic development of the region. But gradually the villagers realized that their development was peanuts compared to the loss they would have to incur. And that except Adani actually no body was benefitting from the project.
The villagers demanded they should be shown the mandatory environment impact report. It is a rule that for any project to come up there should be public hearing. Almost entire villages turned up for the public hearing. They drew the attention of the government officials present that because of coal mining, there would be big blasts. Tigers would be scared. Plus Adani will have to cut 1.3 million trees for the project in the first phase itself. Some of them are rare species. There was one sincere government official who instructed that why not let’s have a look at the environment impact assessment study. But before that Adanis came up and assured the govt. Please don’t worry. We know we will be damaging the forests but we will compensate. How can you compensate for a 260 year old tree, how can you compensate for forests for tigers?
The environment impact assessment report according to local environment groups, estimated the loss to the environment because of this particular project to $ 59.15 million for ten years time. Compare the loss to the $ 1.70 billion project size and the peanut jobs and compensation, everything not to exceed $ 36.17 million life time. . So the idea was to give away forest, land, animals and villages worth $ 59.15 million (only 10 years worth is this big amount) to Adani for $ 36.17 million of life time compensation. The villagers of Chandrapur realized that they cannot sell their soul. They cannot let the forests and tigers go to hell just because some Adani wanted to make money ruining it and hence began a public movement. They found inspiration from varied sources. From speeches and assurances given by politicians, certain environmentalists, conservation experts. But most of it, the villagers were clear not to sell their soul. Former prime minister of India Atal Behari Vajpayee had given an inspiring speech once. He had said “Environment should be our priority. Our planet has been plundered. Some industrialists are not only overusing limited natural resources to exhaustion, they are thereby contributing heavily to world pollution. Some of them are exporting their dirty industries to our villages also. Harmful chemicals, produced and banned in advanced countries, are being exported to poorer countries, in the booming name of global freedom of trade. Even thousand-year-old trees are being cut in the name of enterprise by these industrialists. Stop them. This rape of Mother Earth must be stopped. Mankind cannot be crucified on the cross of company profits.”
Chandrapur villagers decided. We will not let Adani rape our land. It soon transpired that more than logic it were loopholes in the law that had worked in Adanis favour till now. The power of money and typical India government functioning had ensured that Adani gets this power plant project. Soon national and international pressure started building up. To quote Mr Nitin Desai director of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) from the web, every tiger needs minimum 10 square km of space to exist. If the Adani project gets a sanction, tigers will become a history. They will not be able to breed also. Adani is the first of 21 coal mines supposed to come up in the region. If Adani gets sanction, there would be no reason to deny permission to others. Entire Lohara village whose sarpanch had been managed had agreed to move out and was actually happy with the cash Adani was offering them. The mining projects are only going to negate all that conservationists did for decades. The fact that there’s a tigress with three cubs four months old apart from other wildlife indicates that it’s a flourishing tiger habitat. At what cost are you handing over such inviolate forests to the mining projects then?” asked Nitin Desai. He added this forest has an estimated 300 species of trees and about 70 different wild animals living in here. The biodiversity that will perish is irreplaceable and invaluable, he noted.
Here is more: According to government figures: Adani would pay $ 36.17 million as compensation for the forestland. Imagine this: The estimated loss to environment for a 10 year period as pointed out earlier is $ 59.15 million. Adani agreed to give $ 36.17 million compensation and our government agreed!!! What an irony because Mr. P Chidambaram, India's finance minister had just assured he was going to spend $ 120.85 million in the 11th plan under the Save Tiger Project alone!!!! On one hand so much of tax payers money was to be spent on saving and protecting tigers and on other hand the government was nearly a party (by giving permission) to sell away the entire forest to Adani whose environmental loss was officially pegged at $ 59.15 million for 10 years!
Of course Adanis tried to sweet talk the villagers. The power plant of Adani was supposed to come up in Tiroda which is in Gondia district and the coal mines were in Tadoba which is in Chandrapur district. As per the per internet records, Sanjeev Dokey, general manger of APML told Lohra villagers “Adani company is “is equally concerned, and a detailed survey of flora/fauna and wildlife management from reputed organization, Environsearch Pune has been undertaken” Adanis in its compulsory presentation to the govt admitted on dec 22, 2008 in Nagpur where it gave presentation to Maharashtra forest department, that their project would seriously damage forest and the habitat of wild animals, which include tigers, leopards, sloth bear, wild dogs and some 70 other species. We will do our best, they assured. Of course they did not say that there would not be any forest or wild life left after they get into the forest.
Intelligence, education and wisdom are often not related. Native intelligence is an immensely admirable trait found in abundance in India. The villagers of Chandrapur did not buy Adani’s sugar coated assurances. In a written reply to a query under the RTI Act filed by Swanand Soni, convenor of Ekjut, a local platform of 25 environmental groups that fought against Adanis, the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) said on 3 December that the environmental damage that the mines would cause would be irreparable. It will also create huge amount of pollution, which, in the district, has already reached hazardous levels. “At best they can build a garden but can’t recreate forest wealth and wild life, which is only the nature’s gift,” Soni has been quoted. Conservationist Bandu Dhotre warned: “Destruction of these forests by the mines will set the ecological time bomb. We’ll lose forever the only oxygen cylinder.” That’s not all. The mines would eventually destroy Asia’s only teak germ-plasm bank, started 40 years ago, with about 300 varieties of teak plants. If conserved, India would be able to clone all the teak varieties 60 years from now.
Mohan Hirabai Hiralal, Chandrapur’s frontline conservationist and thinker, commented the issue is not local; it’s global, and most importantly, national. “India will have to decide now. Either we protect forests or go ahead with the irreparable destruction of something that only nature can create.”
He warned generations would be haunted by an ecological disaster following the destruction of forests. “It’s not just the tiger’s.” What’s at stake is ecologically rich forest with an irreplaceable, invaluable biodiversity, which can’t be valued in cash. The allotted blocks are home to over 300 species of centuries-old trees, official data shows. Some of the trees are such that they can’t be re-planted now due to changing climate and growing human interference, forest officials say.
Their only weapons were: unity and hope. Unity since the entire villages of Chandrapur were one and hope because earlier two companies ACC and Nippon Depro Ispat had been rejected permission on grounds of environment. If ACC cements same plan can be hazardous for Chandrapur how was it that Adani had managed, they asked openly questioning why Adanis had been given permission. India’s top bureaucrat in the coal ministry was quoted as “The law has to be same for everyone. Politicians or bureaucrats cannot twist law the way they want. (Tadoba) is a zone in which no industrial activity, including mining, can be undertaken. The mining lease at Chandrapur covers an area of 1,750ha, and 90% of this is forest land.”
Now the Adanis had officially admitted that their power project was slated for complete commissioning by Q4 (fourth quarter) of 2011 and that they would obtain necessary clearances before commencing the mining operations before they went public to raise $ 468.09 million for the project. “We may not be able to acquire sufficient land area for our Tiroda project which may affect the viability of such project,” the company informed Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in its draft prospectus.
The peoples movement was unique. The public dug out details. They organized roads shows and rasta rokos. Chandrapur set an example in the country. They forced all their MLAs and MPs (elected representatives) They went and met prime minister Manmohan Singh. They rightly pointed out that on one hand the UPA government was spending crores on protecting the environment and wild life and on other hand it was violating rules and giving industrialists like Adani forests and environment to be raped. What is the logic they asked? They had to ask because Chandrapur district was very clear. We will not vote any politician who does not support us. Entire vidarbha region, not just the district got the answer.
The peoples movement won. Recently, the union environment ministry’s high level committee rejected their coal mining proposal. The entire Chandrapur celebrated and danced with joy. The government has withdrawn the Terms of Reference (TOR) granted earlier ending Adanis dreams and dirty designs for environmental clearance for the project. Without TOR ,mining projects cannot commence. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh became a hero in Chandrapur for the people realized that he did not get influenced by Adanis Influence.
The power we have as an individual is limited. But the power we have as people of the worlds largest democracy is amazing. If we are united, nobody can exploit us. That is the lesson poor villagers of Chandrapur district in Maharashtra have taught one Gautam Adani.
The villagers demanded they should be shown the mandatory environment impact report. It is a rule that for any project to come up there should be public hearing. Almost entire villages turned up for the public hearing. They drew the attention of the government officials present that because of coal mining, there would be big blasts. Tigers would be scared. Plus Adani will have to cut 1.3 million trees for the project in the first phase itself. Some of them are rare species. There was one sincere government official who instructed that why not let’s have a look at the environment impact assessment study. But before that Adanis came up and assured the govt. Please don’t worry. We know we will be damaging the forests but we will compensate. How can you compensate for a 260 year old tree, how can you compensate for forests for tigers?
The environment impact assessment report according to local environment groups, estimated the loss to the environment because of this particular project to $ 59.15 million for ten years time. Compare the loss to the $ 1.70 billion project size and the peanut jobs and compensation, everything not to exceed $ 36.17 million life time. . So the idea was to give away forest, land, animals and villages worth $ 59.15 million (only 10 years worth is this big amount) to Adani for $ 36.17 million of life time compensation. The villagers of Chandrapur realized that they cannot sell their soul. They cannot let the forests and tigers go to hell just because some Adani wanted to make money ruining it and hence began a public movement. They found inspiration from varied sources. From speeches and assurances given by politicians, certain environmentalists, conservation experts. But most of it, the villagers were clear not to sell their soul. Former prime minister of India Atal Behari Vajpayee had given an inspiring speech once. He had said “Environment should be our priority. Our planet has been plundered. Some industrialists are not only overusing limited natural resources to exhaustion, they are thereby contributing heavily to world pollution. Some of them are exporting their dirty industries to our villages also. Harmful chemicals, produced and banned in advanced countries, are being exported to poorer countries, in the booming name of global freedom of trade. Even thousand-year-old trees are being cut in the name of enterprise by these industrialists. Stop them. This rape of Mother Earth must be stopped. Mankind cannot be crucified on the cross of company profits.”
Chandrapur villagers decided. We will not let Adani rape our land. It soon transpired that more than logic it were loopholes in the law that had worked in Adanis favour till now. The power of money and typical India government functioning had ensured that Adani gets this power plant project. Soon national and international pressure started building up. To quote Mr Nitin Desai director of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) from the web, every tiger needs minimum 10 square km of space to exist. If the Adani project gets a sanction, tigers will become a history. They will not be able to breed also. Adani is the first of 21 coal mines supposed to come up in the region. If Adani gets sanction, there would be no reason to deny permission to others. Entire Lohara village whose sarpanch had been managed had agreed to move out and was actually happy with the cash Adani was offering them. The mining projects are only going to negate all that conservationists did for decades. The fact that there’s a tigress with three cubs four months old apart from other wildlife indicates that it’s a flourishing tiger habitat. At what cost are you handing over such inviolate forests to the mining projects then?” asked Nitin Desai. He added this forest has an estimated 300 species of trees and about 70 different wild animals living in here. The biodiversity that will perish is irreplaceable and invaluable, he noted.
Here is more: According to government figures: Adani would pay $ 36.17 million as compensation for the forestland. Imagine this: The estimated loss to environment for a 10 year period as pointed out earlier is $ 59.15 million. Adani agreed to give $ 36.17 million compensation and our government agreed!!! What an irony because Mr. P Chidambaram, India's finance minister had just assured he was going to spend $ 120.85 million in the 11th plan under the Save Tiger Project alone!!!! On one hand so much of tax payers money was to be spent on saving and protecting tigers and on other hand the government was nearly a party (by giving permission) to sell away the entire forest to Adani whose environmental loss was officially pegged at $ 59.15 million for 10 years!
Of course Adanis tried to sweet talk the villagers. The power plant of Adani was supposed to come up in Tiroda which is in Gondia district and the coal mines were in Tadoba which is in Chandrapur district. As per the per internet records, Sanjeev Dokey, general manger of APML told Lohra villagers “Adani company is “is equally concerned, and a detailed survey of flora/fauna and wildlife management from reputed organization, Environsearch Pune has been undertaken” Adanis in its compulsory presentation to the govt admitted on dec 22, 2008 in Nagpur where it gave presentation to Maharashtra forest department, that their project would seriously damage forest and the habitat of wild animals, which include tigers, leopards, sloth bear, wild dogs and some 70 other species. We will do our best, they assured. Of course they did not say that there would not be any forest or wild life left after they get into the forest.
Intelligence, education and wisdom are often not related. Native intelligence is an immensely admirable trait found in abundance in India. The villagers of Chandrapur did not buy Adani’s sugar coated assurances. In a written reply to a query under the RTI Act filed by Swanand Soni, convenor of Ekjut, a local platform of 25 environmental groups that fought against Adanis, the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) said on 3 December that the environmental damage that the mines would cause would be irreparable. It will also create huge amount of pollution, which, in the district, has already reached hazardous levels. “At best they can build a garden but can’t recreate forest wealth and wild life, which is only the nature’s gift,” Soni has been quoted. Conservationist Bandu Dhotre warned: “Destruction of these forests by the mines will set the ecological time bomb. We’ll lose forever the only oxygen cylinder.” That’s not all. The mines would eventually destroy Asia’s only teak germ-plasm bank, started 40 years ago, with about 300 varieties of teak plants. If conserved, India would be able to clone all the teak varieties 60 years from now.
Mohan Hirabai Hiralal, Chandrapur’s frontline conservationist and thinker, commented the issue is not local; it’s global, and most importantly, national. “India will have to decide now. Either we protect forests or go ahead with the irreparable destruction of something that only nature can create.”
He warned generations would be haunted by an ecological disaster following the destruction of forests. “It’s not just the tiger’s.” What’s at stake is ecologically rich forest with an irreplaceable, invaluable biodiversity, which can’t be valued in cash. The allotted blocks are home to over 300 species of centuries-old trees, official data shows. Some of the trees are such that they can’t be re-planted now due to changing climate and growing human interference, forest officials say.
Their only weapons were: unity and hope. Unity since the entire villages of Chandrapur were one and hope because earlier two companies ACC and Nippon Depro Ispat had been rejected permission on grounds of environment. If ACC cements same plan can be hazardous for Chandrapur how was it that Adani had managed, they asked openly questioning why Adanis had been given permission. India’s top bureaucrat in the coal ministry was quoted as “The law has to be same for everyone. Politicians or bureaucrats cannot twist law the way they want. (Tadoba) is a zone in which no industrial activity, including mining, can be undertaken. The mining lease at Chandrapur covers an area of 1,750ha, and 90% of this is forest land.”
Now the Adanis had officially admitted that their power project was slated for complete commissioning by Q4 (fourth quarter) of 2011 and that they would obtain necessary clearances before commencing the mining operations before they went public to raise $ 468.09 million for the project. “We may not be able to acquire sufficient land area for our Tiroda project which may affect the viability of such project,” the company informed Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in its draft prospectus.
The peoples movement was unique. The public dug out details. They organized roads shows and rasta rokos. Chandrapur set an example in the country. They forced all their MLAs and MPs (elected representatives) They went and met prime minister Manmohan Singh. They rightly pointed out that on one hand the UPA government was spending crores on protecting the environment and wild life and on other hand it was violating rules and giving industrialists like Adani forests and environment to be raped. What is the logic they asked? They had to ask because Chandrapur district was very clear. We will not vote any politician who does not support us. Entire vidarbha region, not just the district got the answer.
The peoples movement won. Recently, the union environment ministry’s high level committee rejected their coal mining proposal. The entire Chandrapur celebrated and danced with joy. The government has withdrawn the Terms of Reference (TOR) granted earlier ending Adanis dreams and dirty designs for environmental clearance for the project. Without TOR ,mining projects cannot commence. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh became a hero in Chandrapur for the people realized that he did not get influenced by Adanis Influence.
The power we have as an individual is limited. But the power we have as people of the worlds largest democracy is amazing. If we are united, nobody can exploit us. That is the lesson poor villagers of Chandrapur district in Maharashtra have taught one Gautam Adani.
Hi Dhrudip,
ReplyDeleteSaw your blog here through google. Thought maybe this link might also interest you. Take a look when you have time.
http://srushti.org.in/campaigns/tatr_story.html