PCB accused of providing false email address for submitting views of Vizhinjam EIA
The Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram has come down heavily on the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for having provided a “fake” email address for the public to communicate their views on the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) undertaken for the Vizhinjam International Seaport project.
Prior to the public hearing on the draft EIA of the second and third phases of the project, the board had issued notification to invite comments on the environmental aspects of the project by providing details for communication.
In a joint statement, Thiruvananthapuram Archdiocese Vicar General Eugine H. Pereira, Centre for Fisheries Studies director Lucians Thomas, and Kerala Latin Catholic Association Archdiocese president Patrick Michael accused the KSPCB of urging the public to submit their recommendations to an email address (ceetvm.kspcb@gmail.com) which, they alleged, does not exist.
“Several organisations had submitted their suggestions to flag down glaring errors that had crept into the EIA report. It was only after the public hearing that they realised that their mails had bounced back,” they claimed.
They alleged that no effort has been made to extend the deadline for submitting suggestions, despite officials of the KSPCB allegedly admitting the purported blunder. As a result, the public has been denied the opportunity to register their views on an EIA as mandated by the prescribed norms.
Alleging efforts being made to stifle public opinion for ulterior motives, the aggrieved groups have threatened to move the Kerala High Court and other judicial bodies like the National Green Tribunal, seeking justice against the violation of the law.
- Telegram
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