A Joint Call from Civil Society and Environment Groups Mumbai – June 05, 2023
On the occasion of World Environment Day, 2023, organisations and individuals from civil society and environmental struggles have come together to speak about the negative impact of various ‘development’ projects undertaken by the Maharashtra government.
We ask “If not for the people of the state, for whom is this destructive development for? Who benefits from it?"
Throughout May, the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) issued repeated warnings of a heatwave in Mumbai, Thane and parts of the Konkan. Barely a few months ago, citizens of Mumbai experienced the worst air pollution in years. Between January 29 and February 8, Mumbai overtook Delhi as the world’s second most polluted city in terms of the global Air Quality Index (AQI).
In the month of April alone, at least 13 deaths were recorded due to the heat wave. We struggle to breathe clear air and dust particles from construction sites have caused chronic respiratory illnesses. Travel to and from our place of work has become torture.
We are reeling under the impact of climate change.
Citizens are experiencing the ugly impact of the cutting down of hundreds of trees and forests for infrastructure projects, the displacing of scores of people and the destruction of traditional vocations and livelihood patterns in the name of development. These rampant destructive spate of activities do not align with the objectives of protecting and nurturing the environment and protecting the lives and livelihood of people.
Here is a summary of the environmental impact of some of these destructive initiatives in the Konkan, Palghar and Thane district and Mumbai:
• Basra Solgaon is the epicentre of the struggle by villagers of ten villages in Ratnagiri district to protest against the Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL), an over Rs three lakh crore project, that villagers fear will destroy the land and the ecosensitive areas of the Konkan.
• Farmers of Roha, Murud and Pen taluks of Raigad district have been struggling against mega projects, including the JSW Dharamtar Port Ltd (JSWDPL) expansion, the Virar Alibag multimodal corridor, the Pharma park, the Navi Mumbai airport, the Sambarkund Dam project and a paper pulp industry at Shahapur Dherand in Alibag tehsil. Land acquisition is rapid and at least One lakh acres of land has been converted from agricultural to non-agricultural land.
• In Palghar, the Bullet Train Project, the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway and the Delhi-Mumbai Freight Corridor (DDFC) have sliced up the district, destroying forests, fruit orchards and farmlands, reducing the predominantly tribal farmers to precarity and endangering their livelihood and culture.
• In Thane, the Forests and Trees of Yeoor hills are under unprecedented attack, tthe Thane Creek suffers the loss of mangrove due to encroachment and dumping while the Lakes are concretized as part of a ‘beatification’ project!
• In Mumbai, the mega crore Metro project has disrupted the entire city, the construction of the car shed for Metro 3 in Aarey forest has had the most damaging environmental impact, the coastal road has destroyed fishing activity and permanently altered the coastline, the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) and Thane Borivali Twin Tunnel will will necessitate the acquisition of 16.54 hectares of private land and 40.46 hectares of land within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
These are only some of the major projects that will permanently alter the environment and destroy lives and livelihoods in Maharastra.
Let’s not forget that people from different parts of Maharashtra have lost their lives and homes in floods. At least 36 million hectares of crops was lost in Maharashtra due to climate crisis in last five years.
Despite the threat of more “natural” calamities due to Global Warming and human-made tragedies, our state Government’s primary focus has been to execute several capital intensive infrastructure projects a breakneck speed, destroying our forests and coastline, valuable ecosystems and biodiversity. These projects have also resulted in the displacement of people and loss of livelihood.
Undermining Environmental Laws
Hitherto, India has a fairly robust set of Environmental and other related Laws. But the Modi government and the BJP have looked upon these Acts as impediments to development and to “ease of doing business”. During the past nine years, the government has diluted or tried to dilute a number of these laws to basically make it easier for the capitalists to do business (and conversely to destroy the environment and livelihood of the poor). It has been overzealously proposing or making amendments to laws and policies relating to land acquisition, forest conservation, wildlife protection, environmental protection, biological diversity, and mining laws.
Earlier, it was mandatory to take Gram Sabha consent prior to diversion of forest land for projects at the initial or in-principle approval stage (Stage 1) of a Project Proposal. But after the Amendment to the Forest Conservation Rules 2022, the Gram Sabha, which is statutorily empowered to manage its forest resources is to be contacted only after Final approval is already granted by the Central Govt !
Further, by virtue of the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill 2023, certain types of land (eg. Upto 100 kms from international borders) are to be exempted from the purview of the Act, implying that Projects in these fragile Himalyan mountain areas do not require any forest clearance nor have to abide by any regulation.
Additionally, by virtue of the new Bill, private companies can now raise plantations in the Adivasi and tribal areas on degraded forest land, waste land, and revenue land.
These amendments inform us that the state is moving towards consolidating its command and control over forest land, and forest resources, at the cost of forest dwelling communities, to serve the interests of capital, and big business. Therefore, it is intentionally sabotaging the democratic self-governance framework envisaged under the Constitution which give the Gram Sabha the power to govern and manage its forest, resources, and land for the greater good of all.
As concerned citizens and members of civil society and environmental groups, we are together in trying to raise our voice against such mindless and destructive projects. Some of us have been served with externment notices and face multiple FIRs in different parts of Maharashtra. The government is bent on criminalising our dissent.
On the occasion of World Environment Day 2023, we come together to express our rejection of these destructive projects and to call upon citizens to unite to protect their lives and their livelihood, to nurture trees and forests and the animals and birds that depend upon nature for their survival.
To the government, we demand an
• An immediate halt to all environmentally destructive projects
▪ The withdrawal of all the FIRs and cancellation of externment notices filed against all activists protesting these projects
• An economic, social and environmental audit of all projects
• Identification of alternative sites for projects with full and transparent consultation of residents
• Restoring the land and livelihood of people who have bore the brunt of reckless projects and a just compensation of their loss
• Immediate withdrawal of all recently passed anti-people and anti-environment amendments to environment and forest laws (eg. Forest Conservation Act and Rules)
• All projects be approved only after consent of the gram sabha/local community.
We believe it is still not too late to halt this mindless destruction. But if we do not do so now, it will indeed be too late.