Ankaleshwar industrial waste water "not being treated" as per prescribed norm, allege Gujarat environmentalists

By Our Representative
Well-known Gujarat-based environmental NGO, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS), has alleged that the recent decision to lift moratorium on investment in Ankaleshwar, a well-known industrial centre of South Gujarat, was taken without taking into account failure of the Final Effluent Treatment Plant (FETP) to properly treat industrial waste water.
Pointing out that the “illegal effluent discharge” from FETP “is allowed to be released despite failure to meet the prescribed norms of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB)”, PSS, in a letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) secretary, has accused MoEFCC for “openly allowing” FETP to “violate environmental laws.”
Giving data of the latest investigation results of October and November 2016, the letter, signed by Rohit Prajapati and Krishnakant, says that the FETP operates as a subsidiary company of the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), a statutory corporation owned by the Gujarat government.
Pointing out that after treating industrial waste water at FETP, a 52.76 km long pipeline takes the treated into the sea, PSS says, "The FETP, from its inception till date, has never performed as per the prescribed norms set by the GPCB.”
Interestingly, FETP’s disposal pipeline project was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi on January 25, 2007. “By inaugurating this plant, Modi sent out a message to industry and new investors that compliance with environment laws was a trivial matter in the state”, the letter says.
It underlines, “The pipeline project of FETP of Ankleshwar was built with the tax payers' money. Out of a total project cost of Rs 131.43 crore, the industries paid only Rs 21.75 crore (about 17%); the rest of the expense (Rs. 109 crores) was borne by the Central government, Gujarat government, and GIDC – all of which ultimately draw from public money.”
Underlining that “it is a familiar story: the profits are distributed privately, but the institutional costs and environmental burden are borne by general public”, the letter says, “This is the perfect example of the privatisation of profits and the socialisation of the costs, burdens and hazards.”
It adds, “The 52.97 km pipeline which carries the effluent from FETP to the sea for discharge regularly has many times been broken and that lead to illegal discharge into Amla Khadi which at the end meets the Narmada River.”
Saying that farm lands are also adversely impacted because of the discharge, the letter accuses the MoEFCC of ignoring complaints of farmers are deliberately ignored. It demands, the Government of India should “immediately cancel” the Consolidated Consent and Authorization (CC & A) given to FETP.
“The concerned authority should take exemplary action including cancellation of ‘Environment Clearance (EC) against all the defaulting polluting industries and their main owner and responsible officers of these industrial estates”, the letter insists.

Comments

World Bank clarifies: Its 26th rank to India not for universal access to power but for ease of doing business

By Our Representative
In a major embarrassment to the Government of India, the World Bank has reportedly clarified that it has not ranked India 26th out of 130 countries for providing power to its population. The top international banker’s clarification comes following Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal’s claim that India has “improved to 26 position from 99” in access to electricity in just one year.

Mental health: India's 95% patients "deprived" of medical care, treatment gap 70%

By Moin Qazi*
Among the many challenges India faces, the most underappreciated is the ongoing mental health crisis. Mental illness is actually India’s ticking bomb. An estimated 56 million Indians suffer from depression, and 38 million from anxiety disorders. For those who suffer from mental illness, life can seem like a terrible prison from which there is no hope of escape; they are left forlorn and abandoned, stigmatized, shunned and misunderstood.

Modi model? "Refusal" to build Narmada's micro canals, keep Kutch dry; help industry

By Medha Patkar*
This is the latest photograph of the Kutch Branch Canal (KBC) of the Sardar Sarovar, as of April 8! What does it show, expose, and what memories do you recall? Is it dry or dead? Is it a canal or a carcass of the same?

Bill Gates "promoting" GMO, Bt cotton, like cartels that have roots in Hitler's Germany

By Our Representative
World-renowned environmental leader and ecologist Dr Vandana Shiva has expressed concern that Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft Corporation, has joined the bandwagon of “a poison cartel of three" – Monsanto and Bayer, Syngenta and ChemChina, Dow and DuPont – all of whom allegedly have “roots in Hitler’s Germany and finding chemicals to kill people”.

Indian talc products contain "contaminated" asbestos structures, can cause cancer: Study

Counterview Desk
A recent study, using polarizing light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, and X-ray analysis on multiple over-the-counter Indian talc products for the presence of asbestos, has concluded that large quantities of body talc products are likely to pose a public health risk for asbestos-related diseases, especially for the cancers related to asbestos exposure.

Why are you silent on discrimination against Dalit jawans? Macwan questions Modi

By Rajiv Shah
Close on the heels of releasing his book in Gujarati, "Bhed Bharat", which lists 319 cases of atrocities against Dalits and Adivasis across the country over the last five years, well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan has shot an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, telling him the reasons why he does not want vote for the BJP.

Jharkhand Adivasi lynched to death by mob "chanting" Jai Shri Ram: Fact-finding team

Counterview Desk
On April 10, 2019, Prakash Lakda, a 50-year old Adivasi of Jurmu village of Gumla’s Dumri block, was lynched to death by a mob of men from the Sahu community of neighbouring Jairagi village. Three other victims from Jurmu – Peter Kerketta, Belarius Minj and Janerius Minj – sustained severe injuries due to the beating by the mob. A fact-finding team of Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM), comprising of several activists and representatives of member organisations, conducted a fact-finding inquiry into the incident on April 14-15.

Investigation shows Narmada downstream "seriously" polluted. Reason: apathy, greed

By Rohit Prajapati, Krishnakant, Swati Desai*
Our investigation regarding quality of water flowing in the Narmada river downstream of the Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD), dated April 6, 2019, between 11.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. reiterates, what is commonly known now, that the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) is planned without considering its impact on the downstream Narmada River stretch of 161 kilometres, its ecology, biodiversity and fishery, and lakhs of people living close to and dependent on the river directly or indirectly. This, in turn, has led to its present disastrous state.

Emergence of a rare Dalit teacher in IIT-Kanpur "disturbed" certain faculty members

By PS Krishnan, IAS (Retd)*
Dr Subrahmanyam Sadrela, a faculty member in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur since January 1, 2018, and one of the rare Dalit members of the faculty in IIT group of institutions, is facing the threat of revocation of his PhD thesis, and thereby also jeopardizing his job and career.

RTE in remote areas? Govt of India "plans" to close down 2.4 lakh schools

By Srijita Majumder*
The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, came into effect on April 1, 2010, for the first time made it obligatory on the part of the State to provide free and compulsory education to all children from 6-14 years of age in India. The Act, despite its limitations, had progressive elements like neighbourhood schools, community participation, ban on corporal punishment, no detention, continuous and comprehensive evaluation and it hence it appeared that India was not far from achieving universal elementary education.

Counterview

Search This Blog