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DAM-L LS:MoEF shirks responsibility in Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure (fwd)



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Subject: LS:MoEF shirks responsibility in Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure

Corridor Project
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MoEF shirks responsibility in reviewing massive environmental and
social impacts of Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project
Peculiarly decides to review only the "Expressway" Component


14 August, 2001

Press Release


The Ministry of Environment and Forests has washed its hands off
reviewing the environmental and social impacts of the massive Bangalore
Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project promoted by M/s Nandi Infrastructure
Corridor Enterprise.Without any logic or rationale and taking an extremely
narrow and technical view of its role the Ministry has decided "the scope of
the project for the purpose of this clearance under reference is limited to
the road/expressway component of the BMIC project".  It has thus completely
shrugged off its responsibility in
applying its mind to the extensive and adverse environmental and social
impacts anticipated, including the diversion of large tracts of forest-land
for the project.

The Expressway is only a very small component of this project for it
includes the building of five major cities to locate very large industrial
developments, tourism destinations, large golf courses and entertainment
centres for the 'global elite' and extravagant housing projects. This
project is proposed in the densely populated and highly
irrigated major agricultural zone between Bangalore and Mysore.  The 5 lakhs
population anticipated to live in these new cities would be in addition to
the combined population of 75 lakhs that presently live in Bangalore and
Mysore and the cities in between (major ones being Ramnagar, Channapatna,
Maddur, Mandya and Srirangapatna).

Over 170 villages will be directly affected by this project and the
potential displacement when all components of the project are ready would be
in the region of 200,000 according to preliminary estimates.
All along the project has been wrapped in secrecy wherein the Government
of Karnataka has defended the right of the company to not share public
domain documents pertaining to the project.  This is stark contrast to the
progressive image Karnataka Government attempts to project for itself by
claiming it is a government that values transparency.

People's demand for information on this project has been met with brutal
attacks by the Police, including in Statutory Public Hearings, and the case
of human rights excesses by the State is presently being reviewed by the
National Human Rights Commission.

Massive Displacement deliberately underplayed:  The state subsidies
to this project are shocking indeed.  21,000 acres of land will be acquired
by the State for the Project of which 7,000 acres are Government land in the
form of forest areas and other revenue land.  This land will be passed on to
NICE at Rs. 10 an acre!

The remaining land will be acquired from the farmers and sold to
NICE at a highly subsidised rate, presumably Rs. 1 lakh an acre.  Should
NICE fail to implement the project, and there are enough and more clauses in
the Framework Agreement for it to slip out of its commitment, the land will
continue to vest with the company.  Also in variance to normal practice,
NICE has been waived the responsibility of undertaking the rehabilitation
and settlement of the displaced communities.  NICE has deliberately
underplayed the extent of displacement by distorting questionnaires on base
level socio-economic information and ridiculous collecting details of some
affected persons that include only: the name of the household, its address
and the person conducting the survey!

Water Supply committed without consultation of downstream cities: The
Government of Karnataka has committed to supply the project 150 million
litres of water per day to begin with.  This has been done without regard to
the fact that such an allotment is about a quarter of the water presently
supplied by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board to the entire 70 lakh
population of Bangalore.

Considering that NICE would be allowed to draw this water upstream
of the location where Bangalore draws its water from River Cauvery, the
highly crisis of water supply to Bangalore will worsen further.  Per capita
consumption of water in Bangalore today is 80 litres per capita per day
(lpcd) when the NICE settlements will be assured over 300 lpcd.

Fraudulent Claims of the techno-economic capacity of the developer:
NICE has consistently claimed including in all its official correspondence
and project documentation that M/s Vanasse Hangen Brustlin of Boston (VHB)
is a part of the company and consortium developing the project.  VHB
Executive Richard Hangen has asserted that his company has never been
involved in the project except for a brief period in the project inception
during 1995.  He has even controversially threatened action against the
undersigned if they implicated his company in this controversial project.
This matter has been brought to the attention of both the Government and the
media.  The Government has not ever bothered to verify this issue, and NICE
now claims VHB is involved in the project, and thus sought financing for the
project from ICICI.  Needless to say, that it is such whimsical treatment of
techno-economic considerations of public funding advanced to so-called
private financed projects that has brought many a financial
institution to ruin.

Frittering away public savings thus is nothing short of a criminal
act.
Viable alternatives not examined, perhaps deliberately ignored:  The
Government of Karnataka is proposing upgradation of the existing Bangalore
Mysore State Highway to a four lane expressway and several experts have
confirmed that the existing broad gauge railway corridor could easily and
without further land acquisition be doubled.  Not only would this make the
NICE 'expressway' redundant, but the public support for the same highly
controversial and questionable.Clearly public
interest has not formed the basis of this project gaining support of
the Karnataka Government and now the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests could have claimed exemption
from being responsible for reviewing the financial and techno-economic
considerations of the project, but it certainly cannot do the same when
there is a clear responsibility vested with it to review environemntal and
social impacts of infrastructure projects.  Sec 2 (I) of the Environment
Protection Act clearly makes it the inescapable responsibility of the
Ministry to coordinate "actions by the State
Governments, officers and other authorities (a) under this Act, or the rules
made thereunder; or (b) under any law for the time being in force which is
relatable to the objects of this Act"

And the object clearly includes taking "appropriate steps for the
protection and improvement of human environment". The Ministry has also
failed to appreciate the fact that the process of review of the project has
been mired in controversy, and serious human rights violations have marked
the Public Hearings "held" on the project last year.  The National Human
Rights Commission has taken cognisance of this and is due to give its
decision soon.  But without waiting for the decision of this Statutory
Authority,the Ministry seems to have taken a decision to clear the
"Expressway" component of the project, claiming the impacts of the other
components of the project are not within its realm.   This is a specious
claim given the ambit of the Environment Protection Act.  The Ministry's
Executive also seems to have not taken into confidence the Expert Committee
reviewing Infrastructure Projects, who recently officially acknowledged that
a large number of representations questioning the project had been received
and were being reviewed.  No evidence has also been presented in the
clearance whether this review of the representations was ever conducted as
committed.

Not only has the Ministry betrayed the public trust reposed in them
in taking a competent decision, but has also abandoned its mandate.  We
challenge this decision as being unconstitutional and will undertake civil
and legal action to ensure the project does not proceed on the basis of such
questionable review and decisions.

Leo F. Saldanha Maj. Gen S. G. Vombatkere Dr. H. V. Vasu
Coordinator Convenor Convenor
Environment Support Group Mysore Grahakara Parishat Karnataka
Vimochana
Ranga
Esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in sgvombatkere@hotmail.com kaviram89@hotmail.com


PS:  For more documentation on the project and its impacts a
and a copy of the clearance letter please visit:
http://www.indiatogether.org/campaigns/bmic


Address for further contact:

Environment Support Group ®
S-3, Rajashree Apartments, 18/57, 1st Main Road, S. R. K. Gardens,
Jayanagar, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore 560 041. INDIA
Telefax: 91-80-6341977 Fax: 91-80-6723926 (PP)
Email: esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in
Website: http://www.altindia.net/esg/index.htm




Environment Support Group (R)
S-3, Rajashree Apts., 1st Main, SRK Gardens
Bannerghatta Road, Jayanagar
Bangalore 560 041. INDIA
Telefax: 91-80-6341977 Fax: 91-80-6723926 (PP)
Email: esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in



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