KOCHI: Environmental activist Medha Patkar has demanded the LDF government in the state to reconsider the K-Rail project. Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Medha Patkar said she was requesting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to drop the SilverLine project.
“The proposed project will endanger the Western Ghats. The authorities do not know the value of natural resources. The natural flow of rivers and streams will be disrupted. Kerala has already experienced massive devastation in the 2018 flood, which was caused due to the encroachment of rivers,” she added.
The government has not even conducted a study on how the project will affect the environment, she said, adding that social impact assessment has also not been done. However, the government is now highlighting a big rehabilitation package as a benefit of the project.
Thampan Thomas Award presented
Thampan Thomas Foundation on Sunday gave its maiden best social worker award to human rights activist Medha Patkar.
The honour includes Rs 1 lakh and a citation. Former MG University Vice-Chancellor Cyriac Thomas presented the award to Medha at a function held in Ernakulam Town Hall. Professor Samanth Ray, Sandeep Pandey, N Padmanabhan, C N Premachndran, Manoj T Sarang, Tomy Mathew and Advocate Joy Shankar also spoke.