Vellarada stir draws praise from Medha

She stresses need for efforts to conserve water and biodiversity of the region, which formed the tail-end of the Sahyadri range.

Social activist Medha Patkar has lamented the development models in society which are not oriented towards public welfare.

Inaugurating the 101st day of the agitation against indiscriminate quarrying at Koothali in Vellarada on Sunday, Ms. Patkar stressed the need for efforts to conserve water and biodiversity of the region, which formed the tail-end of the Sahyadri range of mountains.

"Natural wall of protection"

“The mountain range is a natural wall of protection which provides adequate water resources, rare medicinal herbs and ensures asylum to diverse flora and fauna,” she said.

The administration focussed solely on the economics of every issue and so provided scant attention to environmental, ethical and aesthetic values.

Our policies had been shaped in a manner that suited corporates. The gulf between the rich and the poor widened every day because of the unholy nexus between such firms and those in power, she said.

Lauding the efforts made by the local people of Vellarada for over five years, Ms. Patkar said such movements were important to safeguard the interests of the common man.

She was also critical of the attempts being made to quarry building materials from Vellarada for the Vizhinjam deep seaport project. “Time will tell that such actions have caused more harm than good,” she said.

Action Council Vellarada president V. Resalayyan presided over the meeting. Environmentalist C.R. Neelakantan, poet Murukan Kattakkada, environmental law expert Harish Vasudevan, National Alliance of People’s Movement’s State coordinator Kusumam Joseph and Action Council Vellarada secretary J. Geetha spoke.