THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Many ongoing and upcoming mass development projects in the capital have stumbled upon legal tussles from green activists. Recently, the Kerala HighCourt rejected the plea seeking a stop memo to the construction of the upcoming mall at Akkulam alleging environmental violations. Close on the heels of the order, development activists have come out strongly against green activists alleging that they are trying to derail development projects. Meanwhile, environmentalists and green activists also allege that many major development projects are unsustainable and being planned despite not having social, environmental or financial feasibility.
The Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) has come forward demanding legal action against “pseudo-environmentalists” and is gearing up to move the court seeking action against activists filing petitions against development projects misrepresenting facts.
According to them, many major development projects including the Downtown project at Technopark, NH widening and proposed convention centre at Akkulam are facing legal disputes from green activists. These have adversely impacted the projects that are crucial for the development of the capital.
President of TCCI S N Reghuchandran Nair alleged that pseudo environmentalists are trying to scuttle development projects by raising petitions which have no legal standing. He alleged that RTI blackmailers and online media platforms are misusing the weak provisions of the legal framework and using them to derail development projects.
“This has to stop and the government should take action legally against such individuals who are wasting the time and energy of the system and causing delay to major investment projects. We have decided to take this up legally, or else such people will continue to be a threat for other major infrastructure development projects like Outer Area Growth Corridor and Silverline projects,” said Raghuchandran Nair.
Appreciating the government for implementing Central Inspection System (CIS) which aims at ensuring overall monitoring of the compliance by various departments at the establishments of entrepreneurs, he said the authorities should include more departments in the CIS which would help the government to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and increase transparency.
“These environmentalists don’t pay any tax to the government or offer employment to people. Some investors fearing all these hurdles leave the project and only a few fight it legally and make the projects into a reality,” said Raghuchandran Nair. He said that it’s high time the lawmakers came out with strong legal provisions to penalise such petitioners who give false litigations with heavy fines and criminal cases.
‘Development fanatics would learn only from disasters’
Environmentalist Sridhar Radhakrishnan said the petitions don’t stand in the court because the developers go ahead with the construction under certain conditions despite the legal challenges. “This prompts the court to act as a ratifying agency as the project has progressed much ahead. Everybody is forced to turn a blind eye to the violations because of the huge investment and, eventually, nothing can be done. Only very rarely the court goes to such an extend like the Maradu demolition,” said Sridhar. He said a mall will not change the face of Kerala.
“These development activists are not in their senses. When a project is conceived even if the experts warn about ramifications, the political conceptions and development talks override in most cases. The decision on the project is taken based on public response and science doesn’t help take the decision. Always, investment matters more than ecological concern which is unfortunate,” added Sridhar.
Lashing out at the TCC he said these development fanatics should visit Shankhumukham and Kovalam where sea erosion has literally swallowed both the destinations affecting the livelihood of hundreds. “Kerala Hotel and Restaurants Association is also part of the TCCI and they should have a relook and realise how the port project has devastated Shankhumugham and Kovalam and how this has impacted their own people,” said Sridhar.
He said the financial feasibility of a project was more critical once but not anymore. “If we take the Vizhinjam project, the government had to grant a viability gap funding which is nonsense. There are ports in other places and the port in Kochi is underutilised and Vizhinjam port is not a necessary one. The government went ahead with the project and development fanatics are fighting for these projects without realising the disaster or the ecological repercussions the project could bring,” said Sridhar.
The war for sustainable development
The HC rejected plea seeking a stop memo to the construction of an upcoming mall at Akkulam
Development activists
Many development projects are facing legal disputes from green activists
These have adversely impacted the projects that are crucial for the development of the capital
Environmantal activists
Many projects are unsustainable and don’t have social, environmental or financial feasibility
In Shankhumukham and Kovalam sea erosion has swallowed the destinations affecting the livelihood of hundreds due to Vizhinjam project
Many people who are rooting for new projects call those who oppose them as pseudo-environmental activists who prevent development by slew of litigations. However, the latter say others don’t see the disaster awaiting, like Shankhumukkam and Kovalam after Vizhinjam port project started