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

06 February 2001

Press Release

Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor not granted Environmental clearance

Ministry of Environment and Forests Clarifies

Dr. S. K. Aggarwal, Addl. Director of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, in his letter dated 22 January 2001 (No. 21012/1/2001-IA-III, copy enclosed), has clarified that the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests has not granted environmental clearance to the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project of M/s Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise. He has stated that the "proposal is being examined in the Ministry" and that "a decision on regarding environmental clearance for this project or otherwise will be taken after all the related issues have been examined".

This settles the confusion created by the front page reporting by The New Indian Express (Bangalore edition) dated 18 January 2001, titled "Expressway given the 'green' signal", in which it was stated that the "the infrastructure corridor project …. is set to take off any moment, with the MoEF giving it the go ahead".

On the basis of the clarification of Dr. Aggarwal, ESG, in a letter dated 05 February 2001, has appealed to the Ministry of Environment and Forests against according final environmental clearance to the project that involves acquisition of over 20,000 acres of land (about 7,000 acres of which is government land leased free as subsidy), directly affecting over 177 villages, displacing hundreds of thousands of farmers and destroying forests and farm land to build a toll-based barricaded expressway and five new urban centres. This is on the basis of the following facts and submissions:

1. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), based on the complaint of the undersigned dated 14 July 2000, has issued notice on the Commissioner of Police with regard to the blatant abuse of Human Rights in the conduct of the Statutory Environmental Public Hearings held during June and July 2000 by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for the BMIC project (Case No. 242/10/2000-2001). Considering that this enquiry is still underway, any further process in terms of according statutory clearances to the said project would fundamentally violate the law and demonstrate contempt for NHRC.

2. Given that the manner in which the Public Hearings have been held has been challenged before NHRC, particularly that there has been no climate for the public to voice its free opinion, and that the State Government engaged in deliberate, targeted and violent attempts to prevent or suppress several members of the public, project affected persons and experts included, from deposing before the Hearing Panel, clearance must not be granted to the project. MoEF must base any judgement on this project only after a fresh set of Environmental Public Hearings is held w.r.t. the project. These Hearings must be held after giving full and free access to relevant project documents in their comprehensive form and as well in the local language.

3. In view of the above, it would be imperative for MoEF to disregard and reject the highly questionable NOC granted to the project by KSPCB on 01 August 2000 (No. KSPCB/CFE/DEO-2/AEO-2/2000-2001/208), as the same is based on the "Adjourned Public Hearing held on 30-6-2000, 3-7-2000 and 5-7-2000 at Mysore, Mandya and Bangalore" which remain challenged before NHRC. This especially given that, for reasons best known to them, KSPCB rushed the NOC for the project disregarding widespread condemnation over the manner in which it was an active agent to the abuse of Human Rights of those assembled to participate in the said Environmental Public Hearings.

Leo F. Saldanha

Coordinator

Environment Support Group