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"Media reports indicate that the Sethusamudram
Canal Project launch is to be held on 2nd July, 2005, as a major political road
show at the behest of the `patriarch' of the DMK Party Thiru M. Karunanidhi, who
has to be seen in such functions organised at State expense to be in the
limelight, whether in power or out of power. The unseemly haste with which this
function has been organised, that too at Madurai and not at the coast where the
project is to be executed, is indeed startling. Right from the beginning, the
Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways has shown scant regard
for the environmental concerns relating to this project and has been intent on
and content to merely have a grand show featuring his `patriarch' so that he can
continue undisturbed in the Union Cabinet.
Resolution in 1986
"I have always been in the forefront to secure major development projects for
Tamil Nadu. I have thus recently ensured that Chennai gets a new International
Airport. Everyone knows that I will never relent in my efforts to get major
development projects for Tamil Nadu. It may be recalled that it was on the
request of the late Puratchi Thalaivar MGR that a committee was constituted by
the Government of India in 1981 to determine the feasibility of this Canal
Project. While the committee did find the project feasible, it was not taken up
due to financial reasons. I raised this issue as a Member of the Rajya Sabha in
1984 and again in 1986 and stressed that the project should not be viewed merely
in financial terms, but should be taken up keeping in view the national security
concerns also. On 10.5.1986, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly moved a
Resolution demanding the implementation of the Sethusamudram Canal Project
without any further delay.
"In July, 1991, as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, I presented a memorandum to the
then Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, insisting that the Sethusamudram Canal
Project should be taken up. It was my Government which entrusted a new study to
M/s. Pallavan Transport Consultancy Services Limited in 1994 to prepare an
updated feasibility report. This was completed in 1996. It was on my insistence
that the Sethusamudram Canal Project was taken up as a priority project in 1998
and an initial Environmental Impact Study was entrusted to the National
Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in March 1998. This report
was also made available in August 1998.
"Thus, I have been instrumental in ensuring that the Sethusamudram Canal Project
becomes a reality. At the same time, I have always maintained that extreme
precaution should be taken before actually undertaking the project, in view of
the fact that this is a unique ecologically sensitive zone with rich and rare
biodiversity. Further, the zone where the Sethusamudram Canal Project is to be
executed is a major fishing zone which provides livelihood to lakhs of fishermen
of Tamil Nadu. I have always maintained that before taking up the canal project,
it has to be ensured by careful studies that their livelihood is not affected in
any way.
"Any canal project such as the Sethusamudram Canal Project involves massive
dredging of the seafloor. It is elementary that in such an ecologically
sensitive project, where disturbance of the seafloor is involved, maximum
safeguards have to be provided after detailed evaluation. The impact on the
fishing community has to be carefully evaluated and any damage to their
livelihood prevented. Thus, there are very serious environmental issues relating
to this project which need careful study. The whole point is that while the
project is most important, it can only be undertaken after great care and
preparation, paying attention to all the environmental concerns.
Concerns brushed aside
"Instead, we have a Minister, namely, Thiru T.R. Baalu, who is driven by the
desire to have a mega function and for other reasons best known to him, is
brushing aside all the environmental concerns with some big talk about some
project allocations to address them. Thiru T.R. Baalu seems to have fully
imbibed in his previous stint as Union Minister of Environment and Forests the
techniques required to subvert the environmental clearance process. He has thus
bulldozed his way through the environmental clearance process required for this
project with another DMK Minister, Thiru A. Raja, conveniently in that Ministry.
The travesty of this clearance process will be noticed as all the environmental
concerns have been brushed away and simply put as conditions to the clearance by
the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. This has raised
genuine worries among fishermen and all the people in the coastal districts as
to what really lies in store once the project work commences.
"The breakneck speed with which the environmental clearance process has been
rushed through in respect of the Sethusamudram Canal Project has to be
contrasted with the extraordinary delay in clearing the Pykara Ultimate Stage
Hydro Electric Project which had no major environmental issues. Ultimately, I
had to get the clearance only through the Supreme Court of India. When even for
minor issues relating to the environment, Thiru T.R. Baalu would stall a project
of the Government of Tamil Nadu, it is incredible how even the elementary
precautions for such a large project with admittedly serious environmental
impact are given short shrift.
Troubled by the `abuse'
"I am deeply troubled by this abuse of the environmental clearance process.
Where is the transparency in so sensitive a matter involving the people? Where
is the respect for the genuine concerns of the people? Who is to answer when the
people ask and demand a reply? Thiru T.R. Baalu and his cohorts will vanish,
flying away to Delhi and it is the Government of Tamil Nadu which has to face
the people. We have also seen the controversy which was revealed in the media on
the environmental concerns raised by the Prime Minister's Office regarding the
Sethusamudram Canal Project. Thereafter, there is a deafening silence with
nobody having a clue as to how these concerns have really been addressed. What
is shocking is that these concerns have been put down in the environmental
clearance as conditions when what was really required was further detailed
studies to establish the true impact of this project.
"As I have said before, it is the State Government which is that much closer to
the people that will have to provide answers to the environmental concerns
raised by people all along the coast. It is for this reason that the Tamil Nadu
Pollution Control Board appointed an Expert Committee to go into all aspects of
this project before forwarding the proposal to the Government of Tamil Nadu, to
furnish the mandatorily required `No Objection Certificate' to the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Government of India. The Expert Committee has just now
submitted its report to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. This Committee,
with Dr. M. Ravindran, former Director of the National Institute of Ocean
Technology as its Chairman and other eminent experts, has carefully gone into
all aspects of the project and has come to certain specific conclusions. It has
warned that further detailed studies are necessary before going ahead with the
project.
Deficiencies in report
"This Committee has categorically concluded that the Environmental Impact
Assessment Report prepared by NEERI has a number of deficiencies. It has
highlighted the important actions to be undertaken to complete the Environmental
Impact Assessment under different heads, namely, Baseline Studies covering three
seasons, Scoping and Environmental Management Plan. The Committee has
specifically recommended that several studies such as assessing the impact due
to dredging and dumping with specific reference to the dumping areas, impact
during operation of the canal, impact of oil spill, etc., should be undertaken
using modelling tools which are available. These are all needed to ensure that
proper management plans are drawn to protect sea life, valuable coral reefs and
the livelihood of fishermen. The above studies have to be carried out to
complete the comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment Report. The specific
conclusions reached by the Committee are as follows: `Only when these suggested
studies are carried out, the total impact of the project can be fully
understood. This understanding is necessary to arrive at suitable decisions on
the execution of the SSC project.' This is the current status of the
Environmental Impact Evaluation by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. This
has to be considered in detail and the Board has to forward its recommendations
to the Government of Tamil Nadu. Only thereafter, the Government of Tamil Nadu
can decide on the question of furnishing the `No Objection Certificate' to the
Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.
Process subverted
"The great tragedy is that the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government
of India, has been bulldozed into according the environmental clearance even
without waiting for the `No Objection Certificate' from the Government of Tamil
Nadu, although this is mandatorily required under the Regulations framed by the
Ministry itself. It is shocking to see how the entire environmental clearance
process has been subverted in the pursuit of an immediate mega function and
publicity organised as a political road show.
"What about the concerns of the Tamil Nadu coastal fishermen? Already there is
restlessness among the fishermen that their entire livelihood would fall a prey
to the dredger which will dig up the seafloor. It would appear that there is
genuine risk that many of them will lose their livelihood. Even the so-called
environmental clearance given envisages that such a situation will emerge.
Should not the State Government be taken into confidence on what are the
implications? I am greatly concerned by what might actually befall the fishermen
in several coastal districts of Tamil Nadu.
Keen on project
"While there can be no second thought about implementing the Sethusamudram Canal
Project, it is indeed most shocking that the genuine and significant
environmental concerns relating to this project have been brushed aside with
such callous abandon and a devil-may-care attitude displayed by Thiru T.R. Baalu.
He ought to remember that he is playing with the lives of lakhs of poor people
including the fishermen of Tamil Nadu. He ought to also remember that posterity
will never forgive him for the extreme haste with which he has gone about the
project launch, abandoning even a semblance of respect for the environment.
While I am keen that the Sethusamudram Canal Project should be implemented, I
have particularly insisted that this should be done only after all the genuine
environmental concerns are properly addressed. The project launch can be taken
up only thereafter. Subverting the environmental clearance process merely to
have a grand function for political gain needs to be condemned. With this
background, I am unable to bring myself to participate in this function on 2nd
July, 2005, at Madurai."
[This is the text of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
Jayalalithaa's statement on the Sethusamudram Canal Project, issued in Chennai
on June 25]
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