[sustran] Re: Appeal re Violent Arrests at expressway protest in Bangalore

Environment Support Group esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in
Wed Jul 12 10:03:45 JST 2000


Dear Paul,
Thank you for putting up the appeal for the 'right to information' that was
denied during the BMIC Public hearing. We are also happy to see the
responses that have been generated. Leo is well and sends his regards.
 The Chief Minister's reply to the appeals is enclosed along with a letter
that we have compiled to pressurise the Government. If you think it is
appropriate to post it on the sustran list, please do so.

Thank you for your solidarity and support.

Your's sincerely,

Ranjini
Environment Support Group(R)
____________________________________________________________________________
___
											11 July 2000

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your prompt and overwhelming support in responding to our
call to appeal to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. S. M. Krishna, for
effective action on the most unfortunate turn of events in the Public
Hearing on the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor.  It is heartening
to note that the pressure has worked, with the CM's office responding to
several of your mails/emails.  Such acts of an High Office responding to
individual appeals must indeed be appreciated.  

The standard response to most emails have been as follows:

"I have gone through your mail and I am directing this message to the
Divisional Commissioner to enquire into the matter and take necessary
action.
warm regards
SM Krishna"

It is thus hoped that the Divisional Commissioner will enquire into the
matter, and initiate immediate and effective steps to correct the serious
anomalies that interfered with the process of public consultation on a
project of great magnitude and involving very wide social, economic and
environmental impacts.  We will be contacting Mr. Venkateshwara Rao,
Divisional Commissioner, to ensure progress on this front.

Whilst such an "enquiry" is underway, it is right to expect that the
process of according clearance to the project will be in suspension.  Quite
the contrary is the case, however.  It is understood from highly reliable
sources, that Mr. Sanaulla, Deputy Commissioner of Bangalore Urban (DC),
has called for a meeting of the Public Hearing Panel tomorrow, along with
the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), and that grounds are
being prepared to accord a "No-Objection Certificate" to the project with
due dispatch. 

Considering that several of us were denied the opportunity to present views
in a statutory public hearing, by employing brute police force, it amounts
to denial of fundamental rights of Citizens to Freedom of Speech and
Expression (Article 19),  Right to Equality before Law (Article 14) and
Right to Life and Personal Liberty (Article 21).  In such context according
clearances to the project would be completely unacceptable.

We, therefore, believe that it is very essential that the pressure must be
maintained on the Government to comply with the law, and not clear the
project till such time public consultation is conducted in a responsible,
transparent and congenial manner.  Writing to KSPCB on this is the need of
the hour, and we once more appeal to your commitment and support in
endorsing a letter urging them to act accordingly.

This model letter is enclosed, and we request you to send a copy of this
(with amendments as you please) to the Member Secretary, KSPCB, and copy
the same to the CM's office, the DC and mark us a copy for reference.

Every one of your letters is a crucial step towards securing a progressive,
just and democratic society, and ensuring that the BMIC project will result
if and only if it is a sustainable venture reflecting the needs of the wide
public.

Thanking you,

With best regards,

Leo F. Saldanha, Ranjini Thomas, K. R. Mallesh, Manu Mathai, Bhargavi S.
Rao and H. C. Ravindranath
Environment Support Group ®

The Member Secretary
Karnataka State Pollution Control Board
Public Utility Building,
Mahatma Gandhi Road,
Bangalore- 560001.
Ph: 91-80-5588151, 5588782
Fax: 91-80-5586321
Email: kspcbcom at blr.vsnl.net.in

										11 July 2000


Dear Sir,

The distressing events of ordering brutal police action on citizens
demanding access to information on the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure
Corridor during the Environmental Public Hearing of 5th July 2000 disturbed
me/us deeply.  In protest I/we wrote to the Chief Minister of Karnataka
demanding that the whole incident must be investigated, pending which the
Mr. Sanaulla, DC (Urban), should be suspended, and the entire Hearing be
declared null and void.

Mr. Krishna has written to me/us stating that the Divisional Commissioner
has been directed to "enquire into the matter and take necessary action".
Consequently it is to be expected that the process of according clearance
to the project will be set aside, till such time the enquiry findings are
made public.

However, it is understood by way of communication from Environment Support
Group (who in turn have sourced information from highly placed sources)
that the KSPCB is preparing to accord "No Objection Certificate" to the
project.  This certainly is a retrograde action considering that the
"hearings" you have held so far on the project have been marked with abuse
of human rights, denial of project information which in most progressive
societies is public domain and arbitrary denial of the Fundamental Rights
to Freedom of Speech and Expression (Article 19),  Right to Equality before
Law (Article 14) and Right to Life and Personal Liberty (Article 21) by
targeting certain citizens selectively.

In respect for the "enquiry" ordered by the Chief Minister, and the due
right of citizens to be heard meaningfully and in a congenial atmosphere,
we urge you to keep in abeyance your plans to clear the project.  If
anything the same could be done only after Hearings are held once more
after sharing adequate and correct information on the BMIC project's
environmental, social and economic impacts.  Only then will all options
available be known and the impacts adequately appreciated.  You will agree
that if such steps of consultation are engaged in meaningfully, not only
will the public at large benefit, but the project, if justifiably needed,
will win the support of the people.

We hope you will adopt this progressive step and thus ensure the reputation
of KSPCB is above board.

With best regards,


Sd/-
Position
Address



Cc:  
1. Mr. S. M. Krishna, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Vidhana Soudha,
Bangalore 560 001. Fax: 91-80-2253660 Tel: 91-80-2253444/2253424 
Email: smkrishna at bangaloreit.com or cmkrishna at bangaloreit.com 
2. Mr. Mohammed Sanaulla, Deputy Commissioner, Bangalore (Urban), N. R.
Square, Bangalore 560 002 Tel: 91-80- 2211292 Fax: 2214553 Email:
dc at burban.kar.nic.in

 


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