The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : `Groundwater Authority needed'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 02, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

`Groundwater Authority needed'

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has called upon the Government to form a Groundwater Authority in the State as envisaged in Kerala Ground Water (Control and Regulation) Act, 2002.

Mr. Achuthanandan told a news conference here on Friday that the Government's refusal to form the Authority, which could survey areas where over-exploitation of groundwater was taking place, was proof that it had surrendered before multinational monopolies such as Coke and Pepsi.

The 2002 Act was passed on the basis of a Supreme Court directive for stern measures to check exploitation of groundwater resources. Under Section 3 of the Act, the State Government should constitute a Groundwater Authority with MLAs, technical experts, representatives of local bodies and environmental activists as its members. The Government can ban or restrict groundwater use in a specific area on the basis of recommendations of the Authority. But the Government has not cared to discharge this responsibility, he alleged.

Mr. Achuthanandan pointed out that Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have enacted similar laws and constituted Groundwater Authorities to check over-exploitation of groundwater resources. Since the people in Plachimada, where a Coca-Cola plant is located, and Puthussery panchayat, where a Pepsi Cola unit is located, are on the agitational path for years now, the Government has the duty to expedite formation of the Authority, the Opposition Leader said.

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