Expert committee tells OPG "Provide Answers to people's issues first, then come to us"

In its letter dated 11th March, 2010 the Gujarat State Level Expert Appraisal Committee has informed OPG that the proposed 300 MW power project at Bhadreshwar will be considered for Environmental Clearance only after the company responds in detail to the issues raised by the local communities and also gets CRZ clearance from the competent authority.

The chronology of events related to the OPG power project is shown below:
29th May,2009 Public hearing for the 300 MW OPG power project witnessed unprecedented opposition from local communities Read More

23rd Aug,2009 Violent incidents in Bhadreshwar as OPG attempts to start construction without environmental clearance. 30 Fisherfolk leaders arrested and jailed for over 3 months. No action taken against the company. Read More

27th Aug,2009 Fisherfolk move Gujarat High Court against OPG project, raising issues of illegal construction and wrong information provided by company during public hearing.Read More

03rd Dec,2009 OPG approaches MoEF for expansion of the 300 MW power plant to 2600 MW.

03rd Feb,2010 Gujarat High Court orders site visit by GPCB officials and rules that company can’t start construction until project gets Environmental Clearance.

24th Feb,2010 Team of GPCB and Expert Committee visits Bhadreshwar and interacts with local communities and company officials. GPCB asks Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan, a local fishworkers tradeunion to prepare a comprehensive representation of all issues raised by the local communities in opposition to the OPG project.

4th March,2010 MASS hands over the representation, on behalf of 23,000 Fishworkers, Salt Panners, Farmers, Livestock rearers, Jain pilgrims and other villagers, to Expert Committee in presence of OPG officials.

11th Mar,2010 Expert Committee writes to OPG seeking their response to the issues raised by the local communities and states that project will be considered for Environmental Clearance only after satisfactory response to the issues raised and also the company has to obtain prior CRZ clearance from the central authorities.

12th Mar,2010 OPG starts construction again in project site.

13th Mar,2010 Fisherfolk complain about OPG’s illegal construction activity to district authorities.

17th Mar,2010 Legal notices served to district officials to conduct site inspection of the illegal construction activity.

As on date No action taken by District administration and OPG continues illegal construction activity without Environmental Clearance.

As mentioned in the representation made by MASS to GPCB, the project is likely to adversely impact fishworkers, salt panners, farmers, livestock rearers, Jain pilgrims visiting the Bhadreshwar panch teerth and other villagers of Bhadreshwar and the surrounding villages. On July 10rd, 2009, the Bhadreshwar Gram Sabha passed a resolution against the OPG power project. Villagers are worried because OPG is committing so many violations at the entry stages itself, and if allowed to establish, cannot be relied upon to sincerely implement pollution control measures that are being discussed on paper, thereby putting people's health and livelihoods at risk.

The apathy of the District Administration in ignoring the local community's complaints and allowing OPG to continue with illegal construction means that the villagers only ray of hope lies with the Expert Committee and the courts. The Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan, Kutch Zilla Machimar Association, The Bhadreshwar Salt Pan Association, Paryavaran Mitra and Kalyanji Vardhaman Trust (Trustees of the Jain pilgrimage shrine) welcome the positive steps taken by the Expert Committee and GPCB to understand the issues of the local communities. However, it remains to be seen whether the expert committee will take a step further in the interests of the local communities and deliver justice by rejecting the Environmental Clearance for the OPG power project.


If you would like to support the local communities in their pursuit of pro-poor, clean and sustainable development, please sign the following petition to insist upon the environmental regulatory authorities to reject environmental clearance for the project and the district administration to wake up and take some action against the company.
http://www.gopetition.com/online/30272.html

Sign a Petition to stop the displacement of Fisherfolk

Click here and leave us a comment with your name or email id, location to show your support for our demands.

Your support will help us to insist upon the Government and Industry to accept our demands.

Write to us at mass.kutch@gmail.com

Voice of the Mundra Fisherfolk

An Open letter to Respected Shri.Gautam Adani - Chairman and CEO of Adani Group and Respected Shri.Arvind Gupta - Managing Director and CEO, OPG Group.

Dear Gautam Bhai / Arvind Bhai,

Fishing is our sole livelihood that has sustained our community for centuries and deprieved of it, we will perish.

Adani Mundra Port,SEZ and the OPG Power Plant will do just that.

Is that what you want?

Listen to our voice: Our Demands .

Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti

Our Demands

1. The bandars represent strategic locations from which fishing can take place. They represent the area where the fishing families stay put for 9 months every year. They also represent the areas where fish is dried. Nearly 90% of the fish caught in Kutch is dried and without this space, fishing will not be sustained. The Bander land should be allotted to us and the bander should be declared as a fishing zone.
2. Protection of the 5-7 km wide inter-tidal zone that is vital for fishing. Half the fishermen who are pagadiyas are entirely dependent on this zone. The boat fishermen also become pagadiyas during the June-Aug period and also depend on the inter-tidal zone for three months in a year. 5-7 km wide and 4 km long stretch of Intertidal zone in front of each Bander should be meant for fishing only and not used for any industrial development.
3. The access road from main road to the Bander should not be blocked. Permanent access to the bandars should be ensured. Trucks to take fish from the bandars should be able to freely come and go.
4. Creeks in the Mundra Coast should not be filled or blocked as they are used by us to navigate to fishing grounds. The creeks should be kept open for fishing boats to come and go.
5. The sea routes to the fishing grounds should not be obstructed by ships anchored on the routes to the port. Port operations and shipping should be regulated in a manner that will not affect operations of boat fishermen at sea.
6. Hazardous wastes and oil should not be dumped near the coast. Strict control over marine pollution due to port activities and the effluence from the SEZ industries—establishing a system that will provide fishing communities an opportunity to participate in the monitoring.
7. Highly Saline discharge from desalination plants can be treated and used for salt extraction, but should not be disposed in the sea near the shore as it will affect fishing. No Desalination plant or shipyard should be allowed near the fishing enclaves.
8. Destruction of Mangroves near the Mundra Coast should be stopped as mangroves are crucial for our livelihood. The mangroves destroyed/degraded in the last decade must be replanted to restore the marine resources like shrimp.