Wayanad tragedy: Greens hold Kerala govt ‘accountable’, seek suspension of further tunnel works
The Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samiti on Wednesday held the Kerala government “accountable” for the disaster at the Kalladi tunnel mouth, demanding an immediate suspension of
The Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samiti on Wednesday held the Kerala government “accountable” for the disaster at the Kalladi tunnel mouth, demanding an immediate suspension of all construction activities. Terming the statements of Kalpetta MLA and Agriculture Minister T. Siddique regarding the project a “challenge to the public,” the environmental collective condemned alleged attempts to shift the entire blame onto the contracting company. The Samiti members said the Minister’s statement that the contracting company was solely responsible for the incident was “not acceptable”. The Samiti also alleged that the tunnel project was approved during the term of the Left Democratic Front-led government with “suspicious haste and without adequate scientific evaluation”, overriding early warnings raised by environmentalists.
In a resolution on Wednesday, the committee expressed hope that the Chief Justice of India would realise the latest situations based on the complaints raised earlier by the Samiti and other environmental forums. They also raised criticism against the verdicts earlier pronounced by various courts on petitions filed by various environmental activists. The group alleged that the LDF government secured a stage-one clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change during its tenure by providing misleading information and employing unlawful means. They further questioned the transparency of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared under the aegis of the Konkan Railway Corporation, asserting that vital safety parameters were “compromised” to expedite construction.
The Samiti members who turned up for the meeting in Wayanad in the wake of the debris flow claimed that its activists, who moved the court seeking scientific appraisals, were vilified as “anti-development”, subjected to public slander, and targeted with intimidation tactics by hired elements at their residences. Warning that the latest disaster was “a stern message from nature”, the committee demanded a comprehensive probe by a credible agency into the alleged roles played by Public Works Department engineers, agencies involved in studies for the Konkan Railway, the State Environment Impact Assessment Committee, and former MLAs of Thiruvambady and Kalpetta who mobilised public opinion for the venture.
The Samiti urged Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan to immediately suspend operations until an expert scientific panel reviews the project. The meeting was presided over by N. Badusha. Samiti leaders Babu Mylampadi, Thomas Ambalavayal, Thachambath Ramakrishnan, C.I. Gopalakrishnan, Sunny Marakkadavu, and P.M. Suresh also spoke.
The BriefWire