CHENNAI: A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court stating that the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP) was based on a study that was "scientifically incomplete" and that it was being "pushed by parties having a role in the stability of the ruling coalition" in the Centre.

The petition, filed by O. Fernandes of the Coastal Action Network, said the March 31 order granting environmental clearance was issued without application of mind to relevant facts and details, and without considering the inadequacy of the Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment report prepared by the National Environment Engineering Research Institution (NEERI).

Mr. Fernandes prayed for the quashing of the impugned clearance by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, and as an interim relief sought to restrain the Centre from "undertaking any project-related activity relating to the execution of the SSCP."

The petitioner said the Tamil Nadu Government took a stand that the procedure adopted for the impugned clearance was not proper and that the environmental and sociological factors had been ignored. Referring to the State Government's specific stand on the project, he said, "it is not fair for the Union of India to ride roughshod over the views of the State Government and push the project. It is submitted that on this ground also the impugned proceedings are liable to be quashed."

Charging the Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T.R. Baalu, with "showing undue haste in pushing the project," the petitioner said, "even without waiting for proper approval a political decision was made for the clearance of the project, and the clearance has been issued by the Centre not on the basis of rational evaluation of the pros and cons of the project in issue."

The petitioner cautioned that executing the project with incomplete scientific knowledge base would have far-reaching negative, economic, social and ecological consequences not only for India but also for Sri Lanka. He said: "The EIA report makes no reference to possible impacts on fisheries on the Sri Lankan coast or the biodiversity of the Gulf of Mannar within the Sri Lankan waters. Given the proximity of the project to the International Medial Line, this is a matter which should have demanded consultation with the Sri Lankan Government, or at least a joint Rapid EIA with the Sri Lankan counterparts."

As for the environmental consequences of the SSCP, the petitioner said disturbing the highly productive coral eco systems would spell disaster to the fishery in the whole of Bay of Bengal. Dolphins and whales would be disturbed by ship movement as they were sensitive to ultrasonic sound waves. "Dredging the ocean floor can have a lasting impact on the environment as the fast moving water currents in the Gulf of Mannar region would fill up the dredged passage with sediments."

When the petition was filed in the court Registry, senior Central Government Standing Counsel P. Wilson opposed it being included in the list of cases as, according to him, the National Environmental Appellate Authority Act provided for an alternative remedy to persons aggrieved by the project. However, the Registry officials numbered the matter, stating that counsel could express opposition in court.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |