Kutch fishermen write to MoEF against proposed power plant

The company had set up barbed wire fences around the site,cleared vegetation,levelled the soil and initiated soil testing and compacting,according to a site inspection report by MoEF’s additional director A Senthilvel.

Senthilvel’s visit and consequent actions had put a stop to the company’s work there and,after roughly nine months,a final clearance was given to the project in September 2011 after the company agreed to several riders; these included provisions of Rs 108 crore as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and environment measures by the company as well as several infrastructure re-designs that would mitigate adverse effects on the local pollution.

But recently,the local fishermen’s association obtained RTI replies that showed the company applied for clearance to use about 3.6 hectares of forest land that would be part of the project. Although the application was made on October 17 and is currently pending at the office of the Chief Conservator of Forests,Kutch,OPG has apparently begun work on the plant site.

This gains significance because in March 2011,the MoEF had issued a circular to all state and regional agencies under it,stating that such a move is not allowed. “Some projects involve use of forest land as well as non-forest land. State governments/project authorities sometimes start work on non-forest land in anticipation of the approval of the central government for release of the forest lands required for the projects,” the circular said.

“Though the provisions of the (Forest Conservation Act 1980) may not have technically been violated by starting of work on non-forest lands,expenditure of works incurred on non-forest lands may prove to be infructous if diversion of forest land involved is not approved. It has,therefore,been decided that if a project involves forest as well as non-forest land,work should not be started on non-forest land till approval of the central government for release of forest land under the Act has been given,” it added.

The Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan (MASS) has attached copies of the RTI replies and this particular circular to the letters it sent to Natarajan. The association has asked the minister to initiate action against the company and cancel the permission for setting up the plant. “Bhadreshwar is an important location for fisheries. Also,there is a proposal with the government to develop a fish landing centre in Bhadreshwar,” the letter said.

Interestingly,even the state fisheries department has supported MASS’s stand. Last year,the deputy commissioner (fisheries) had asked the Kutch district collector to cancel the approval given to OPG,saying the “local fisherfolk/fishing is likely to be affected by the power plant which is coming up in Bhadreshwar village of Mundra taluka”.

MASS is a fishermen’s association that claims a membership of 5,000,and has spearheaded a three-year long agitation against the power plant fearing it would damage nearby saltpans,kill fish in the sea and affect the inter-tidal mud-flats where the fishing community has for generations practiced a traditional form of fishing — pagadiya.