Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Greens express concern over location of space institute

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Greens, a nature-lovers forum of Secretariat employees, has urged the State government not to proceed with establishment of the Institute of Space Science and Technology at Ponmudi without a study of the environmental issues.

In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, the environmental organisation noted that the site proposed for the institute was an area of ecological importance. So, the project should not be taken up without evaluating the environmental aspects.

The organisation called for abandoning the Athirapally project and legislation to check the conversion of paddy fields and destruction of hills for filling the fields. Interim orders should be issued to check the flattening of hills before full legislation was brought.

The Athirappally project, it said, will affect 80 tribal families and hit drinking water and irrigation requirements downstream the proposed dam.

Earlier, the Lawyers’ Environmental Awareness Forum (LEAF), an organisation of lawyers in the High Court of Kerala, submitted memorandums to the Chief Minister and ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, urging the ISRO to desist from taking up large-scale constructions in an ecologically sensitive area. Instead, the institute should be located in less problematic areas, such as the Jersy farmland at Vithura.

An inspection team of the forum reported that the helipad for the project was being constructed within a stone’s throw from the natural habitat of the endangered species Nilgiri tahr at Varayadumotta. On the immediate west was a valley covered by dense forest forming a corridor with neighbouring forests. Any human intervention or construction activity on the proposed helipad would cause this forest tract on the west to recede and would have an adverse impact on the natural habitat of Nilgiri tahr. Several wild animals frequented the area. Any change in the land use pattern in the estates would affect the water security of the lower riparian areas.

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

Stories in this Section

Opposition will fight goonda politics, says Karthikeyan
Greens express concern over location of space institute
State faces a daunting task in finalising BPL list
Gandhi Jayanti week celebrations
Catching reality on film
Project to develop parking lots on M.G. Road
Auto driver assaulted
Tourism sector to focus on women
AIE all set to fly to Male
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM TODAY

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu