A meeting of political and social leaders held here on Sunday at the behest of poet Sugathakumari and Gandhian G. Gopinathan Nair decided to petition Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the Union Environment Ministry’s decision to give permission for conducting an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed Aranmula airport.
The meeting, attended by political personalities and activists, decided to seek an appointment with Mr. Modi through the State BJP leadership, which is opposed to the project, and submit a memorandum. Since the project promoters had secured wetlands and paddy fields for the project, the committee decided to revive paddy and vegetable cultivation as a mark of protest against the decision. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member M.A. Baby said that the protest should be simultaneously extended to the State and national capitals. Since the promoters of the project had vowed to get it executed ‘at any cost,’ those opposing the project could not afford to remain complacent anymore, he said.
Mullakkara Ratnakaran, MLA, suggested the idea of reviving farming in the project area. Agriculture is not just a vocation. It can be a tool of protest too. A collective attempt to start paddy and vegetable cultivation would send the right message to the seat of power, he said. Mathew T. Thomas, MLA, too supported the proposals of Mr. Baby and Mr. Ratnakaran, but expressed doubts about mobilising the masses at different locations simultaneously.
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He stressed the need for creating public awareness against the project.
Philippose Thomas, who had contested as LDF candidate from Pathanamthitta, said that a UDF subcommittee had proposed to amend the Panchayati Raj Act to take away the powers of controlling waterbodies from the ambit of local bodies. This was aimed at helping the promoters who had illegally reclaimed waterbodies in the project area. He wanted the coordination committee to conduct an EIA with the support of experts.
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Ms. Sugathakumari then reminisced that an expert committee had reported that there were no forests in Silent Valley. Such manipulated reports were aplenty, she said.
Mr. Gopinathan Nair said the agitation should prove the organisational might of the people.
The State BJP leaders had expressed their solidarity with the agitation but could not attend the meeting as the State committee was meeting on Sunday.