Protest is brewing against the Binanipuram police in Ernakulam, which arrested a green activist here on Tuesday on charge of stopping a barge transporting effluents from a unit of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Shibu Manuel, secretary of the Green Action Force in Eloor, was taken into custody on Tuesday morning based on a complaint lodged by officials of the ISRO’s Ammonium Perchlorate Experimental Plant (APEP) near Aluva. Accusing the ISRO of dumping hazardous waste into the Vembanad backwaters and polluting the water body, Mr. Manuel, along with a group of environmentalists, had stopped the barge on October 16 when it entered a narrow stretch of the Periyar between Eloor and Binanipuram.
A swift intervention by the local police, who negotiated with the protesters and ensured a safe passage to the vessel, had eased the situation then. Following this, the Pollution Control Board had collected samples of the effluent and sent them for a detailed examination to its central laboratory.
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“The barge, operated by a contractor agency and having a few ISRO officials on board, was on its way to the sea when the protesters intervened. Based on a complaint, a case has been registered against him for threatening and preventing a public servant in the execution of his duty’’, said Vishal Johnson, Circle Inspector, Aluva.
Mr. Manuel was produced before a magistrate later in the day and was granted bail.
The environmentalists, however, refuted the police contention and termed it an attempt to muzzle the voices of dissent. “Though the complaint has been pending against him for over two months, they chose to arrest him in an early morning action by cordoning off his residence. One of his family members had to seek treatment for mental trauma after this episode’’, said Muhammad Iqbal, a member of the Eloor-based Jana Jagratha Samithy.
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Environmentalist Purushan Eloor alleged that the barge, operated twice a month, used to discharge the effluents from the Methanam area and exhaust the stock much before it reaching the sea mouth. “The PCB examination has revealed that the effluent contained high concentrations of toxic substances such as ammoniac nitrogen, KJeIdahi nitrogen and lead. The ph value of the matter was 1.2, which also contained 1.7 milligrams of lead and 24160 mg, among others’’, he explained.
Commenting on the issue, ISRO sources rubbished the allegation of toxic waste and said the waste being discharged in the sea was just sodium chloride. “The discharge process is being carried out under the guidance of agencies, including the Kerala State Pollution Control Board and the Cochin Port Trust etc’’, they said.