Calling environmental clearance the biggest hurdle to development projects, Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed slammed the Gadgil Committee report on the preservation of the Western Ghats ecosystem as impractical. He was delivering the special address at the workshop on environment and energy here on Friday organised as a follow-up to ‘Emerging Kerala’ by Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) in association with the Department of Industries and Commerce.
“If the Gadgil report is fully implemented, the economies of the six states of the Western Ghats will be utterly destroyed,” the Minister said.
“The Kasturirangan report is much more practical which took into account both environmental and developmental concerns,” he said.
Kerala, Aryadan said, which houses 29 per cent of the Western Ghats’ unique biodiversity, couldn’t and should not ignore environmental concerns. However, they must not hold developmental concerns hostage.
“Kerala has the potential to generate 6,000 MW energy but has only around 2,010 MW. Around 700 MW worth of projects are stalled in view of not getting forest and environment clearances,” Aryadan said.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who inaugurated the workshop, said that neither environment nor development can take precedence over the other.
“In a developing country like ours, we cannot afford to look at just environment alone,” Chandy said.
“The three most important aspects surrounding energy and environment are waste management, environment protection and self-reliance on power generation.”
Industries and IT Minister P K Kunhalikutty and Additional Chief Secretary (Industries and Commerce) V Somasundaran were also present at the inaugural ceremony.
