CHAPTER 6

CASE STUDIES ON CONFLICT IN GREEN POLICIES

In the name of development, the government is

undertaking so many projects connected with forests. For

the industrial and infrastructural development power is

essential. The various governments of Kerala have seen

the hydro electric projects as the only source of power

generation. The political parties always view development

only as a process of starting industries, and developing

the transport and communication systems of a country.

The year 1996 came with a heavy blow of powercut on

Kerala. Many political party leaders have already

expressed their opinion regarding the solution for the

powercut. The All India President of the CITU,

E. Balanandan UP, even demanded rethinking on the Silent

Valley and Pooyamkutty Projects. He has further added

that the power shortage of Malabar area could be solved

only by seeking permission for large scale hydro electric

projects from the centre. He even criticised the Central

Government saying that they always were trying to find out

lame excuses for rejecting these hydro electric projects.

Meanwhile a report in the -i dated 29

January 1996, said that more than 40 small scale and

medium scale hydro electric projects were pending and

steps were being taken to start them as a solution to the

35 per cent powercut in the state. All political parties

have welcomed the proposal. Moreover the political

activists are more interested in finding immediate

solutions to problems rather than time consuming solutions

due to the mass appeal of the former. 2 As the

environmental impacts of developmental projects come out

only after a long period, these impacts are seldom

reflected in the political decision making process. Hence

all development projects are undertaken irrespective of

their environmental consequences.

The conflict on issues arises when the environmental

experts project the long term consequences of every

developmental project in terms of its impact on

environment. The conflict of interests in the Pooyamkutty

Project, Agastyavanam Biological Park and the Rudravanam

Project are taken as case studies here. The opinion and

arguments of government in support of the projects

represent the government's interest. All political

parties belonging to the opposition and ruling fronts

support these projects. There are only slight differences

of opinion regarding the method of implementation of these

projects among these parties. But all of them are of the

opinion that these projects are to be implemented.

The environmental experts and NGOs oppose these

projects based on the long term consequences of these

projects on the ecology and forests. They are thinking in

terms of sustainable objectives of development activities,

not in terms of immediate eflfects. Hence, the conflict is

between the interest of government and political parties

which represent only the immediate economic benefits of

development activity and the interest of environmental

experts and NGOs which represent long term sustainable

benefits of development.

Case Study I

The Pooyarkutty Project Versus The Pooyarkutty Forests

Even after the victory of conservation movements in

Silent Valley a decade ago, the silent, calculated and

deliberate destruction of the green natural cover in the

state is going on unabated. The governments have designed

and put forward more and more projects for the development

of the state. One such project is the nPooyamkutty Hydro

Electric Project" which has become the centre of the post

Silent Valley environmental debate in the state.

The original proposal of the Kerala State Electricity

Board was the construction of a set of dams for power

generation in two stages. This involves the construction

of 5 more dams above the proposed Pooyamkutty and

utilising them in an integrated manner to increase the

installed power generation of 750 MW, spread over an area

of 300 sq. Irm. of forest and involving a submergence of over

6000 hectares of prime forests.

The first stage of Pooyamkutty Project involves the

construction of a dam across the Pooyamkutty river, a

tributary of Periyar at a place called Pindimedu, situated

in Devikulam Taluk in Idukki District. Construction of a

148 metre high main dam and a 50 metre saddle dam will

create a reservoir with an effective storage of 1021 M M ~ .

The catchment area of the first phase is 272 sq. km and

the submergible area 28 km (2800 hectare). The estimated

cost (1982-83) is Rs. 250 crores. 4

The much acclaimed and talked about capacity of the

project to generate 240 MW of power is possible only after

constructing the five other dams and diverting the water

to the Pooyamkutty reservoir down below. Thus the 240 MW

is only a built in provision.

The Kerala State Electricity Board prepared one

Environmental Impact Assessment of the project as early as

in 1983-84. An Environmental Impact Assessment is a

statement which is usually made on the basis of an

exhaustive analysis of several environmental parameters

following certain commonly accepted guidelines. Such a

statement is intended to help the decision makers to

examine the desirability or otherwise of a proposed

project under c~nsideration.~ This report of the KSEB was

a "flimsy one, prepared hastily, which even went on to say

that the area did not contain much of wild animals or

plants. 116

The Kerala State Electricity Board Report

The KSEB taking the power supply situation of the

state into consideration, strongly argued for the

construction of the Pooyamkutty Hydro Electric Project.

They also argued that the Pooyamkutty Project was given

instead of the Silent Valley Project. When Government of

India on ecological and environmental considerations,

dropped the Silent Valley Hydro Electric Project, to

compensate the deficiency in power generation, the

Pooyamkutty Hydro Electric Project had been proposed.

In the early chapters the KSEB argues that power

generation is the basic requirement for the industrial

progress of the state. As hilly terrains and numerous

rivers are available in Kerala, the best source of energy

is hydro electric projects. It is in the 12th chapter of

the Study Report that ecological and environmental factors

are dealt with.

Justification for Locating the Project in the Forest Area

The report finds hydel power as constituting Keralals

mainstay, as coal fields are far away and as no fossil

deposits could be traced here. An expert team of the

KSEB visited the area several times to make a scientific

study. From the angle of the 'quantum of water with

regulating facility and drop' the proposed site for the

construction of the dam is the best available one.

According to the report "there is no other site in the

Valley which could offer storage development with lesser

involvement of forest than the proposal for the

benefits. *18

The proposed reservoir would be spread out covering

an area of 2800 ha. ~ccording to the report the

submergible area does not contain many wild animals, birds

and there are no breeding or feeding or migratory route

and there are no rare and endangered species of flora and

fauna .

An environmental team was formed consisting of

experts from various scientific fields to study the socio-

ecological aspects of the environmental impact that are

likely to crop up with the implementation of the project.

The team has concluded that the project will not, in any

way, adversely affect the biotic and abiotic components of

the forest system; they do not anticipate any ecological

backlashes or ecological boomerangs in the project area

upsetting ecosystem balance. "' In the environmental impacts listed in the report in

the form of questions and answers, ecological or

environmental problems arising from the construction of

the dams in Pooyamkutty are not found.

The Kerala Forest Research Institute ~e~ortl'

The Kerala Forest Research Institute at peechi

initiated a study about Pooyamkutty as a preconstruction

stage analysis of certain environmental and ecological

aspects of the area. "The basic objective was to generate

benchmark data pertaining to these aspects before the

construction of the dam so that the impact of construction

of the dam can be assessed more realistically than was

possible in the case of the Idukki Hydro Electric

~roject.*'ll The Study is made in such a way that the

decision makers can have the benefit, before taking a

final decision.

At the time of initiating this study, the second

stage of the project was still at the investigation stage.

Therefore the study focused on the area covered by stage

I. According to the study, the impacts of the Pooyamkutty

Hydro Electric Project can be classified into two major

kinds: (1) direct impacts, i .e. , those that occur as a

direct result of the dam either immediately or over a

period of time and which cannot be prevented, and (2)

indirect impacts which can be prevented to a considerable

extent.

The study was initiated in January 1985 at a time

when the proposal for the Hydro Electric Project submitted

by the Kerala State Electricity Board was under

consideration, for clearance by the Department of

Environment, Forest, and Wildlife. The report of KFRI is

organised into the following sections:12

1. Land use pattern

2. Vegetational status

3. Soil conditions and properties

4 . Wildlife status, and

5. Existing human settlement and human impact of

the project.

The Pooyamkutty and allied river basins represent the

only large contiguous stretch of thick forests south of

the Palakkad gap on the Western Ghats. Soil studies in

the KF'RI reveal that the head water zone (35 per cent of

the watershed) of the Pooyamkutty is already under human

pressure, compared to other parts of the basis. Further

deforestation can trigger very high rates of sedimentation

and premature siltation of the reservoir.

The botanical aspect covered in the KFRI Report

revealed that over 175 species in Pindimedu area are

endemic and 50 per cent of this belong to the South

Western Ghats alone. According to K. K. N. Nair, the Chief

Botanist, the regions that came under the submergible and

catchment areas of the proposed Pooyamkutty Project are

from a conservation point of view, worth preserving to

save a larger percentage of endemic species depicting the

affinity of the Peninsular Indian flora with that of

Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The area also contains 100

species of timber, 174 species of medicinal plants, 90

species of food and fodder yielding plants, 35 species of

oil yielding plants, 39 species of gum and resine yielding

plants, 40 species of tan and dye yielding plants and 5

species of spices yielding plants. At present, the

indigenous timber species and medicinal plants are the two

categories of plants getting fast depleted from our

natural forests. Hence, the flora of the two regions with

a good representation of these two groups of plants is

quite significant as the habitat of indigenous

economically important plants.

An area of 160 sq. km. situated in and around the

submersion area of the main reservoir was chosen for

studying the status of wildlife and availability of water.

Construction of the main dam at Pindimedu on the

Pooyamkutty river is not likely to affect the wild animals

very adversely. But, the construction of feeder dams

would lead to the establishment of a network of roads

linking Pinavur, Idamalayar, Pooyamkutty, upper

Idamalayar, Anamala, and Mankulam and thus opening up

almost all inaccessible forests in the Pooyamkutty region

to encroachment and destruction. Thus the construction of

feeder dams would very adversely affect the forests and

animals of the region. 13

The impact of the dam on human life is at its

maximum. The Economist of KFRI, Mammen Chundamannil says

that the most outstanding negative impact of the project

will be 'Man versus Man' controversy unlike in the Silent

Valley where it is \Man versus Monkey controversy.'14

The submergible areas are rich in reed resources

which represent an important raw material for mat and

basket weaving in the traditional sector and for paper

making in the modern sector. The annual reed extraction

from the region is around 2 3 , 5 0 0 tonnes, which provided

2.6 lakh mandays of employment annually for reed

extraction and 20.6 lakh mandays for processing which

makes a total of 23.2 lakh mandays per year. About 43 per

cent of the annual reed supplies of the Kerala State

Bamboo Corporation and about 26 per cent of the

requirement of the Hindustan Newsprint Ltd. are met from \

Pooyamkutty. Local production of mats (independent of the

Bamboo Corporation) at Pooyamkutty is around 52 lakhs

square feet annually. It has been calculated that over

3,00,000 people in Kerala are dependent on reed for their

existence.

Already, the availability of reed is below

requirements as a result of the destruction of forests

in Idamalayar, Thenmala, Adimali and Kallada areas.

Therefore, it is not possible to make good the shortfall

in supply, if the Pooyamkutty area is submerged by the

proposed reservoir.

There are three human settlements in the submergible

area of the proposed project . They are Anakulam,

Mettanpara and Kurathikudi. Together, they comprise 233

households with 931 members. The powerhouse site is at

Pinvoor where 34 families with 152 members face eviction.

There is still no clearcut rehabilitation programme for

the tribals and non-tribals in the project area. As the

government does not say anything about the nature of

eviction (whether below the Full Reservoir Land (FRL) line

or even on the edge of the reservoir), the rehabilitation

programme also is not clear.

Most of the tribal households in this area had been

displaced already once in the early sixties, from their

original homes in Anayirangal owing to power projects.

A historical review of forest use in Pooyamkutty indicates

that development of accessibility promotes forest land use

changes. The impact of the proposed dam on the forests

will be much more than the clearance of 2800 hectares.

Indirect impacti

The indirect impacts arise due to unintended but,

unavoidable human influences and may consist of the

following.

(a) Large labour force and their food, fuel and

accommodation requirements naturally result in the

destruction of forests. Even they hunt wild animals

for their food.

(b) Increased human activity will lead to increased soil

erosion and improved accessibility will trigger a

series of uncontrollable land use changes and

conversion of land for other uses.

"The history of other hydro electric projects in

relation to forest use and conservation in Kerala shows

clearly that the indirect impacts of the hydro electric

projects are more detrimental than the direct impacts. "I6

This objective and scientific study about the

Pooyamkutty Project highlights the real aspects of forest

destruction. The publication and publicity given to this

study report was a morale booster for many Non

Governmental Organisations and persons engaged in the

fight against the Pooyamkutty Hydro Electric Project.

A Comparative Study of the Two Reports

A comparative study of the two Reports--one made by

the KSEB and the other by KFRI--depicts entirely different

pictures of the Pooyamkutty Project. The KSEB report is a

hastily prepared one and most of the arguments put forward

are without scientific basis. For example, the KSEB

report says that the magnitude of the impact owing to

population pressure would be only negligible. l7 But the

KFRI report says that there would be direct and indirect

human impacts for the project.

The KSEB report emphasises on hydel power as the only

available source of energy in Kerala. But the KFRI

proposes alternative sources of energy like solar, wind

and wave. The KSEB report even went on to say that the

area did not contain many wild animals or plants. But the

KFRI report reveals the existence of 466 species of flora

in the area. In the KSEB report, the settlements to be

rehabilitated were not identified. But the KFRI report

brings out the seriousness of the impact of the project on

human settlements. The data for soil erosion given in the

KSEB report were extrapolated from other regions. But the

KFRI report, which is the result of strenuous efforts of

four years gives the real data of the region.

"The hasty preparation of the KSEB study itself made

it uns~ientific."~~ The conflicts of interests

represented on one side by the Kerala State Electricity

Board and on the other by the Scientific Community (KFRI)

are very clear in these two studies made by them. The

purpose of a scientific study is to reflect the realities.

But the purpose of a study made by a vested interest group

would always result in hiding the real situation.

Political Interests and Pooyamkutty h-oject

On 13 July 1993, the desirability of the taking up of

the Pooyamkutty hydel project was a subject of animated

discussion in the Assembly. The LDF (Opposition)

taunted the Government for its failure to get forest

clearance for the Pooyamkutty Project. But the

Congress(1) MLA and former Forest Minister said that he

was personally not in favour of cutting any more forests

for any kind of project. He was of the opinion that

decisions on clearing forests should be taken keeping the

needs of the future generations also.

The CPI leader K. V. Surendranath stood strongly

against any destruction of forest, but V. V. Raghavan of

the same party held the view that Pooyamkutty was

for Environment. This pressure tactics worked and

conditional sanction was given by the Ministry of

Environment and Forests for Pooyamkutty Hydro Electric

Project. 22

The Electricity Minister C. V. Padmarajan even

alleged that "a very strong lobby was working within the

state to scuttle the proposed Pooyamkutty Hydro Electric

Project." The Minister also blamed the Kerala Forest

Research Institute for the centre's refusal to grant

sanction for the scheme. 23

The above statements made by and opinions expressed

by the majority of politicians make clear their view of

Pooyamkutty Project. The MPs are even chalking out

programmes for using pressure politics at the centre. The

MLAs are taunting one another for the delay caused in the

implementation of the project. Thus, the interest of the

politicians is clearly in favour of the project.

An all party committee with V. J. Paulose MLA, was

formed for the implementation of the Pooyamkutty Project.

This State Committee for the Implementation of Pooyamkutty

Project submitted a memorandum and urged the Union

Minister for Forests and Environment, Kamal Nath to

sanction environmental clearance immediately. 24 This

further clarified the favourable stand of the political

parties in the state for the Pooyamkutty Hydro Electric

Project. In the Election Manifesto of the LDF (1996),

hydro electric projects are projected as a solution to the

present power crisis in the state.

The NGO Interests: A Conflict with Political Interests

The Pooyamkutty Samrakshana Samithi is in the

forefront fighting against the proposed hydel project.

The conflict of interests of politicians and bureaucracy

on the one side and the experts and environmentalists on

the other side becomes obvious when we study these two.

The retired chief engineer of the Irrigation

Department P. H. Vaidyanathan argues25 that hydel projects

like Pooyamkutty are very costly due to the long gestation

period. In the traditional large hydel projects, the cost

of producing 1 MW of electricity is Rs. 3.5 crores. But

in the small hydel projects the same unit of electricity

could be produced with only Rs. 1 crore. He calculated

that by spending Rs. 6000 crores on small hydel projects,

6000 MW electricity could be generated during the monsoon

period and that about one-third of this could be produced

during the summer.

This expert opinion is against the arguments raised

by the KSEB officials. They argue that only projects like

Pooyamkutty will be able to solve energy crisis of Kerala.

Against this stand taken by the KSEB, Sugathakumari in her

article in the Kathru- daily dated 14 Hay 1994,

stated clearly and logically, why Pooyamkutty forests

should be preserved. In her view, there are no more

forests left in Kerala to be destroyed. She also

suggested the alternative of using the excess natural gas

that is being burned out at Bombay High. Quoting the

report of the Hindu daily, she claimed that per day

seventeen million cubic metres of gas worth Rs. 2400

crores is being burned. 2000 MW of electricity could be

generated using this gas, whereas the capacity of the

Pooyamkutty Project is only 240 MW in the first stage.

The Prakriti Samrakshana Samithi an NGO engaged in

the preservation of nature and natural resources is deadly

against large dams. K. V. Surendranath, President of this

organisation said, "large dams mean construction

activities and catchment area on a large scale. The

benefits of timber contractors and construction

contractors are directly proportional to the size of dams.

These benefits are ultimately shared by politicians

also.n26 So, as there are other alternative sources for

generation of electricity such as wind, wave, sunlight,

and natural gas, without probing these possibilities, the

government and political parties are pressing for large

scale dams. his brings out the conflict of interests

between these two groups.

The Kerala Environmental (Protection) Council also

requested the Government to drop the Pooyamkutty Project.

The Council General Secretary U. K. Gopalan wanted

"environmental decisions to be free from political

considerations. lt2' The Idukki based Coordination

Committee for Environmental Protection also conducted

agitation against the moves for the revival of the

proposed Pooyamkutty Hydel Project. The organisation

opposes the Pooyamkutty Project on the ground that there

is a high pressure of dams exerted on Idukki District.

The Idukki District already possesses nine dams and

if the entire Pooyamkutty Project comes, there would be an

addition of another eleven dams. h his would result in the submergence of 100 sq. km. and can lead to seismic

imbalances in the region. Tremors had already been

reported from Idukki and one could not easily predict the

impact of formation of large water bodies in a hil.1~

terrain within a small area."28

The Pooyamkutty Samrakshana Samithi is very active in

organising activities against the Project.

The Pooyamkutty Samrakshana Samithi is the frontal

organisation fighting against the proposed Pooyamkutty

Project. The Samithi has succeeded in coordinating all

the organisations in Kerala under the Umbrella of the

Pooyamkutty Samrakshana Samithi. According to M.P. Mathai

who is the convenor of this organisation, the Samithi

prepared a 'fact sheet' of the project and made it

public. 2 9

The Samithi conducted relay fasting and satyagraha in

Kothamangalam from 30 April 1994 to 14 May 1994.

Environmentalists like V. R. Krishna Iyer, Sugathakumari,

Sukumar Azhikode and K. V. Surendranath participated in

this function. The relay fasting and satyagraha aimed at

catching the attention of the public by making the

implicit dangers of the project public. Also it aimed at

forming public opinion against the vested interests of the

political and bureaucratic lobby who are pressing for the

project. The Samithi organised the following action

programmes against the implementation of the Pooyamkutty

Project . 30

(a) Writing 'letter to the editor' to all newspapers

in Kerala.

(b) Writing letters to the Minister for Environment

and Forest.

(c) Pasting posters against the project all over

Kerala.

(d) Conducting processions and corner meetings.

(e) Printing and circulating news letters of the

Pooyamkutty Samrakshana Samithi.

(f) Printing and distributing pamphlets about the

environmental impact of the project.

(g) Opening the Pooyamkutty Samrakshana Samithi head

office at Kothamangalam to coordinate and

supervise the activities.

As a result of the above-mentioned activities, the

Central Government seriously looked into the

implementation of the project. A scientific expert team

was sent to evaluate and assess the impact of the project

correctly. Before this central team the Pooyamkutty

Samrakshana Samithi explained its stand on the project and

expressed its worries over the project.

The Samithi found out that the vested interests

behind the project succeeded in connecting the development

activities of Pooyamkutty area with the project. For

example, the people of Pooyamkutty-Kattampuzha areas have

been demanding the construction of the Thattekkat Bridge

and the KSEB authorities have succeeded in making the

local people believe that the construction of the bridge

would be done only as a part of the construction of the

dam. Against this Samithi members contacted the people

and propagated the true facts about the project.

The political parties and the bureaucracy view

construction of large scale hydro electric projects as the

only solution to the energy crisis in the state. Even the

KSEB don't approve and encourage the alternative sources

of energy. This is clear from the statement made by the

Union Minister for Non Conventional Energy, P. J. Kurian.

He lashed out at the KSEB officials for not giving

sanction t o non conventional energy sources

deliberately. 31 These non conventional energy sources

could have generated 300 MW of electricity within a period

of six months. Therefore it is clear that the purpose of

sticking on to large scale hydro electric projects is not

for generation of power, but owing to some other vested

interest. The environmental experts are fighting against

these vested interests by bringing out the realities of

each project proposed by the KSEB and supported by the

political parties, and thus the conflict of interests

takes place.

Case Study I1

The Agastyavanam Biological Park

The Kerala Forest Department prepared a final Project

Report on the controversial Agastyavanam Biological Park

(first phase) in the year 1992 and submitted it to the

then Forest Minister K. P. Viswanathan. According to the

report, the Project is to come up on 23 sq. km. on the

foothills of Agastyamalai forming part of the Kottoor

reserve forest and comprising of 18.5 sq. km. of degraded

natural forests, 1.5 sq. km. of evergreen forests and

3 sq. km. of plantations. A township and recreational

facilities for tourists will come up on 20 hectares. The

total cost in the first phase to be taken up during the

Eighth Plan period will be Rs. 5 crores.

The final report mentions that the objectives,

programmes and activities mentioned in the preliminary

report have been reoriented in view of the controversy

over project. 3 2 The report describes the primary

objectives of the project as ecoforestation, afforestation

and conservation. Moreover, preservation and propagation

of numerous animal species and scientific arrangements for

soil and water conservation are among the other

objectives. In order to attain these objectives, a number

of enclosures, termed conservatories are planned to be

built in the forest area, with roads, buildings and other

infrastructural facilities for tourists.

The Agastyavanam Biological Park has been officially

declared by the Forest Department under the wildlife

section by a Government Order GAD 17/91 dated 16 January

1991. A special conservator was appointed to look into

the matter as per the above order. 3 3

It is said in the report that the biological park is

framed in such a way that in any way it does not hurt the

basic ecological framework of the region. Sight seeing

opportunity for tourists and research facilities for

students and researchers are also provided in the park. 3 4

~eintroduction of Animals

The programme for the reintroduction of animals in

the first phase covers lion tailed macaque, gaur, sambar

deer, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, slender

loris, Malabar giant squirrel, small Travancore flying

squirrel, leopard cat, rusty spotted cat, and black naped

hare. The captive breeding of various rare, threatened

and endangered animals endemic to the Western Ghats is

also proposed. These include the flying lizard,

Travancore tortoise, cane turtle, crocodiles, and

porcupins.

The project also envisages the construction of an

aviary, an ibex park, an elephant breeding ground, fish

ponds, reptile conservatory and butterfly park. About 25

Nilgiri tahrs (an endangered mountain goat protected in

the Eravikulam National Park) also are planned to be

procured and released on 20 hectares at Kathirumudi Malai,

at one end of the park. Mass breeding of various types of

butterflies is proposed to be undertaken in the butterfly

park.

Recreational ~acilities~~

The recreational facilities in the park will include,

according to the final report, nature trails and gradient

trails for trekking, adventure tourism, ireas of retreat,

swimming and boating facilities, artificial lakes, bathing

ghats, ropeway (connecting Neyyar, Peppara, and Kottoor),

sunbathing facilities, elephant riding, and indoor and

outdoor games. The adjoining township will have an

ornamental gateway, a children's park with overhead

trains, chariots, children's corner aquarium, public

garden, pond, Mahatma Gandhi monument, national

integration house and games.

The botanical projects include building an orchid

conservatory, a conservatory of medicinal plants, bamboo

villas, aquatic plants, fernery, indigenous grasses and

fruit plants, palm groves with large collection of

indigenous and ornamental palms and sanctuaries of

carnivorous plants, succulent plants and cycads, and a

herbarium and museum. A library and documentation centre

and a laboratory would also be set-up.

An ecodevelopment programme also is proposed to be

undertaken for the benefit of tribals and the local

communities affected by the project. The proposal for the

introduction of exotic species like Nilgiri langur has

been dropped from the final report. 36

Thus, in the opinion of the then Forest Minister

K. P. Viswanathan, "The Agastyavanam Biological Park is a

scientific approach towards preserving and conserving the

natural resources and at the same time providing

opportunities for enjoying the natural environment and

entertainment. 37

Government Sponsored Debate

Agastyavanam Biological Park Project was Strongly

opposed by many environmental experts and scientists by

raising many issues involved in the project. The Forest

Department even organised a debate at the regional level

in Thiruvananthapuram on the expert committee report on 16

February 1993. Two other such debates/discussions on the

project were conducted in Kochi and Kozhikode as the

project proposal had invited much criticism over its

"feared environmental impact, heavy infrastructural

expenses envisaged and the unsoundness of some of the

conservation proposals and the illegality of constructing

a \modern zoo' inside reserve forests.n38 The priority

accorded for the project was also questioned.

The Government appointed an expert committee to look

into the proposals as public protests against the project

mounted. But, even the amended proposals made by the

committee in the final report did not satisfy the

environmental activists. The Forest Department, which is

canvassing support for the project, has organised already

a number of programmes including conducted tours to

convince opinion leaders of the desirability of the

project. It is for the first time that the Department

launched such a prolonged and intense campaign to canvass

support for one of its programmes.

Claims of Government

Inaugurating the discussion on the project, the then

Chief Minister of Kerala, K. Karunakaran said, "The

objective of the project is to improve the status of the

forests in the project area and to make money out of

ecotourism. But, a project such as this could not move

forward because of opposition from environmental

activists. 39

The then Finance Minister Oommen Chandy, who spoke at

the valedictory session, said that the project had been

designed with good aims and many of the criticisms against

it were the result of inadequate understanding. 40

The government opinion is that, they want to protect

the forests and wild animals scientifically. The

Biological Park is a new concept which involves protection

of all wild species along with provision for enjoying the

forests in its own natural background. n41

As the Government and its machinery are convinced

about the necessity of the Biological Park, it has

announced the formation of the advisory, steering and

construction committees for the Agastyavanam Biological

Park project. 4 2

These committees have been set-up to speed Up

implementation of the first stage of the project. The

Advisory Committee has 30 members including politicians

and bureaucrats. All policy matters relating to the park

are to be discussed by this committee. The Steering

Committee is constituted with only bureaucrats. The Chief

Secretary is the chairman. The head of the Construction

Committee is the Secretary, Forests and Wildlife.

In none of these committees is an environmental

expert included. This shows the government's lopsided

attitude towards formulating and implementing policies.

Counter Arguments

Environmentalists and social workers reject the idea

of a biological park and question the very interest of

government in establishing a biological park. In a

lengthy article by K. V. Surendranath, President of the

Prakriti Samrakshana Samithi, in the Mathrubhoomi daily

dated 6 September 1992, he totally rejected the concept of

the Biological Park.

According to him, evergreen forests are left only in

Arunachal Pradesh, Andanam and Nicobar islands and Kerala

in the Indian peninsula. These forests could be preserved

only by leaving them untouched. For the last one and a

half centuries, we have been exploiting the forests with a

commercial attitude. The Biological Park also is a

project with commercial motives behind it and hence it is

to be rejected.

The project envisages an initial investment of Rs. 10

crores and it expects an annual return of Rs. 45 lakhs

from the tenth year onwards. Surendranath argues that the

number of people who are to enter the forests in the name

of ecotourism to bring in an annual revenue of 45 lakhs

would be sufficient to disturb the wildlife and destroy

the forests. Hence he says that the idea of ecotourism

cannot be accepted from the preservation point of view.

The construction activities that are going on in the

Agastyavanam forest area itself are a proof of what is in

store for future activities. Construction of main roads

and by-roads is taking place in the area along with the

quarters for the officials. Construction of shopping

Centres and restaurants is also planned as part of the

biological park. The inflow of a large number of tourists

coupled with the completion of construction activities

that are going on in the area will result in the formation

of a township in the midst of forest. The forests are not

safe in this type of an environment.

The officials are in the pursuit of purchasing 17

vehicles in the initial years for supervising the works in

the project area. 43 The sound pollution and air pollution

caused by these vehicles inside the forests will certainly

be against the basic norms of protecting the wild animals.

In the Project Report, the authorities have earmarked

only Rs. 11 lakhs for the rehabilitation of tribals. This

meant that each tribal family would get only Rs. 19,600, a

pittance compared to the losses they would have to bear by

moving out of the area which they had been cultivating for

years.

The Forest Department itself is divided over the

issue of the eviction of tribals from their land. One

section argues that the tribals should be allowed to

remain in their settlements even after the park came into

being. There is another group expressing the view that it

would be a crime against the tribals if they were made

'exhibits' at the park.

Tribal Opposition

Meanwhile the 56 tribal families who are faced with

eviction by the Forest Department to facilitate the

establishment of the Agastyavanam Biological Park opposed

the proposed biological park. The tribals from various

settlements in the Kottoor forests had urged the then

Chief Minister to offer protection for them. The

'Kanikkar' Mooppan said, I9Our culture and beliefs are

rooted in this forest area. The 'Vettukallu-Mappi peaks,

where the Gods of the hills reside, are here. If we are

pushed out of our homes, we would lose everything."44 The

tribals staged a dharna in front of the Secretariat on 31

December 1991 and submitted a separate memorandum to the

Chief Minister and Governor.

The 'Ashambu Greens' an environmentalist group

working in the Agastyavanam area remarked that the

tribals, if uprooted from their natural environment will

find it very difficult to survive. They earn their

livelihood by depending fully on forests and forest

products. Therefore the interests of the tribals are

clearly in conflict with the policies of government in

this case.

The Biological Park would affect not just the

tribals, but the entire population of Thiruvananthapuram,

which depend on the waters from small rivulets like

Anchunazhi thode and Kottoor thodu originating from the

Agastyakoodam ranges for their drinking water needs. When

the city experienced a severe water scarcity in 1975,

water was routed from Neyyar to Aruvikkara through the

Kottoor thodu. With the construction of roads, gardens

and check dams within the proposed park area, these

rivulets too would die out.

The Ashambu Greens in a news conference45 questioned

the Government's assertion that the park was being set-up

on the basis of a scientific study. The status paper

prepared by the Forest Department had said that it had

received assistance from several experts and institutions

in the preparation of the project. But it was doubtful

whether any of these individuals or institutions had

conducted any scientific study about the implications of

the project or was fully aware of its dimensions. The

change in the size of the project area and the steep

increase in its estimated cost were indicative of the

absence of a scientific study.

Further it is alleged by the activists of Ashambu

Greens that the person in charge of the project was one

who had been remaining under suspension on charges of

corruption and this too raised serious doubts about the

real intentions of the authorities.

As against the meagre provision for rehabilitation,

the department had earmarked Rs. 70 lakhs for acquiring a

private estate, Rs. 242 lakhs for various construction

activities and Rs. 42 lakhs for buying vehicles. Though

the government asserted that the project was being funded

by the centre, the entire fund was coming from the state

exchequer.

Raising all these issues, the environmentalists who

want to protect the forests of Agastyamala formed the

Agastyavanam Protection Council. In connection with the

Earth Day celebrations of 1993, the members of this

organisation adopted a resolution urging the government to

declare the Agastyavanam area in Thiruvananthapuram

district as a biosphere reserve and suspend the work on

the proposed biological park there. 46 The resolution

further expressed concern over the brisk pace of

construction activities in the area ignoring the pleas of

environmental organisations and environmentalists to

abandon the project.

The Sastra Sahitya Parishat member who participated

in the function47 warned about the adverse consequences of

the promotion of tourism in the name of ecotourism. He

added that those who visit the forests in the name of

ecotourism "need not be conservation oriented, but they

are consumption oriented." It is easy to calculate the

casualties that could be inflicted on forests by such a

group. Thus, the group strongly protested against the

concept of ecotourism.

Environmentalist and poetess Sugathakumari who

participated in the discussions said that the Bekkal Fort

Project and the Agastyavanam Biological Park are examples

of selling our own body to foreigners for money. She

severely criticised the Forest Department's new objective

of Tourism Promotion.

Court Decisions

Petitions were filed in the High Court of Kerala

against the Biological Park Project, saying that the

project is against the Forest Protection Act and

environment. But Justice M. M. Pareethupillai rejected

the petitions48 saying that the Government could prove

beyond doubt that the objective of the project is to

maintain the biodiversity of the region and to protect the

forests. The additional Advocake General who appeared

before the Court on behalf of the Kerala Government argued

that not even a single tree would be felled for the

implementation of the Biological Park Project.

But in September 1993, a Division Bench of the Kerala

High Court through its order prevented the implementation

of the project. 49 The Court observed that the Forest

Department should convince the court that they had

observed the directions of the Central Government while

implementing the project.

The Agastyavanam Biological Park issue brings out the

conflict of the interests of the Government authorities

and the environmental experts and NGOs obviously. But,

there is a conflict, the real one, between the poor

tribals and the Government. The tribals have no land

other than forests to live on. But, they have no

votebanks and affiliation to any political parties. So,

there are only few persons to argue for them. Quite often

these arguments fall on the deaf ears of the Government

officials. As Sugathakumari had rightly remarked, "The

Adavasies are born to wage always a losing war with the

higher echelons of power. " 5 0

Case Study 111

The Rudravanam Project

The Rudravanam Project which has been included in the

15 point programme of Chief Minister A. K. Antony is

another example of the conflict of interests of the

Government and environmentalists. The 15 point programme

is the list of the development programmes to be

accomplished by the present government during a period of

two years.

The Sabarimala Shrine of Lord Ayyappa is a famous

Hindu pilgrim centre in the midst of forest where lakhs of

devotees assemble during the Makara Vilakku season. The

Rudravanam Project is proposed to increase the amenities

of these lakhs of devotees who come over there for darsan.

In order to complete this project 100 hectares of forest

land is demanded.

Forty, five-storied concrete buildings are proposed

to be constructed in the areas around the Sabarimala

Shrine. 5,000 persons in each of these buildings are able

to take rest, constituting a total of 2 lakh persons in 40

concrete structures. The Project also proposes the

construction of roads and parking grounds of vehicles near

the Shrine. The road from Pamba to Rudravanam, with a

width of 12 metre and length of 7 kms through the forest

will certainly be a threat to the forests. Moreover a

shopping complex is also proposed as part of the project.

All these construction activities, if carried out, will

change Sabarimala into a tourist centre from a pilgrim

centre. Rs. 300 crores is the estimated expenditure.

The Devaswom Board which is in charge of the

administration of the Sabarimala Shrine is also supporting

the Rudravanam Project. They say that the project is

highly necessary as it envisages the increase in the

amenities of the devotees. In the words of N. Bhaskaran

Nair, President of the Travancore Devaswom Board,

"increasing the facilities of lakhs of devotees is the

immediate concern of the Board. The Rudravanam Project is

a creative project of the present government to minimise

the difficulties of the de~otees."~'

The Devaswom Board authorities even submitted a

memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Samkaracharya

of Kanchi in order to get sanction for the Rudravanam

project. 5 2 The Devaswom Board had already approached the

Central Government through the State Government and they

felt that the p~litical pressure was insufficient to get

things done at the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Hence they decided to pressurise the Central Government

through spiritual leaders. The State Government and the

Devaswom Board are of the opinion that the Rudravanam

Project is very necessary to increase the welfare of the

devotees.

Views of Fmvironmental Experts

The views expressed by the experts in the field of

environment regarding the Rudravanam Project completely

depict a different picture.

R. V. G. Menon is of the opinion that the Rudravanam

Project is a different development project for Sabarimala

from the earlier ones as it has an integrated approach.53

This integrated approach to solve the problems of the

devotees assumes the shape of a township and in future as

the inflow of persons increases, the size of the township

at Sabarimala will demand more forest land for its

expansion. He also added that the spiritual fulfilment of

the pilgrimage lies in having very simple and humble visit

to the shrine suffering all difficulties. Modern

transport facilities and concrete structures will turn the

pilgrimage into pleasure trip.

Larry Baker, the proponent of the idea of low cost

construction activities in Kerala, also criticised the

Rudravanam Project saying that the project in its present

form will be a nuisance to the wildlife. 54 He suggested

that the basic necessities of the Ayyappa devotees should

be increased not at the cost of forests. He also

cautioned about the possible destruction of forests after

the completion of roads.

Vishnu Narayanan Nampoodiri categorically stated that

the Rudravanam Project would bring an end to the forest

culture (Aranya Samskaram) of India. 5 5 The multistoried

buildings and the modern amenities would be useful only to

a handful of rich devotees who could afford the

expenditure. He alleged that as forest wealth cannot be

exploited easily as in the past, new projects are

formulated by the vested interest groups by influencing

the government. The real beneficiaries of the project

would be the wood cutters and timber lobby of the state.

No organisational activity has been so far reported

against the Rudravanam Project. But the members of so

many environmental organisation have expressed their views

against the Project.

K. V. Surendranath, the President of the Prakriti

Samrakshana Samithi pointed out that every project

proposed by the Government in the name of development

involved large scale construction activities. 56 This is

because construction activities constitute a roaring

business for contractors and forest is to be destroyed in

the area where construction is going on. In both ways the

contractors and the connected political lobby are

benefited.

Thus, the case studies prove that the projects

proposed and supported by the Government quite often

deviate from the path of sustainable development. The

environmental experts and NGOs have raised objectives to

these projects only on the ground of environmental

protection. Therefore, the study of these projects really

depict the picture of the conflict of interests between

the environmentalists and the government.

Consequences of the Conflict of Interests

The tug of war between environmentalists and the

political-bureaucratic lobby is going on in the case of so

many other projects also. It seems that the politicians

are very much fond of undertaking large scale construction

activities in the name of development projects. They have

also succeeded in creating an impression among the public

that large scale construction activities are the symbols

of economic progress.

But, construction activities in forests are a curse

to the tribals. construction activities for hydro

electric projects and biological park have adversely

affected the livelihood of thousands of tribals in Kerala

forests. Their bare necessities are in conflict with the

comforts and luxuries of the civilised men. AS the

tribals are illiterate, they cannot calculate the

financial loss incurred by the displacement from their

settlements. As they are politically unorganised, they

are unable to exert any pressure on political parties and

Government during the decision making process. In the

words of Medha Patkar, the leader of the Narmada Bachao

Andolan, "The urban ruling machinery is imposing

exploitation on the poor tribals all over the world, in

the name of modern development. 1157

The tribal culture and modern civilisation are in

constant conflict with each other. A democratic set up is

expected to protect the interests of the poor and weaker

sections of the society. But the vested interests in the

name of development have only increased the number of

environmental refugees all over the world.

The picture of the conflict of interests of

politicians and environmentalists is clear and complete

with the recent statement of the Electricity Minister and

Congress leader, G. Karthikeyan. He said, "It is the

blind opposition o f development projects by

environmentalists that put Kerala in darkness. It was the

environmentalists who have objected the Silent Valley and

Pooyamkutty Projects. The Kakkad Project also could not

be completed due to their ir~tervention."~~ He also

appealed the environmentalists of Kerala not to oppose the

hydro electric projects in future.

Against this allegation of the Minister,

Sugathakumari reacted sharply by writing an article in

&&&!&hoorni daily dated 29 February 1996. She said that

it was due to the negligence and go slow process of the

successive governments in power that 18 small and medium

hydel projects were left incomplete. She attributed this

fact as the main reason for the power shortage in the

state and not the interference of the environmentalists as

the Minister had alleged.

Sustainable development is the only solution found in

the present set up to overcome the conflicting interests.

Political authorities have to seek environmental wisdom.

Based on this wisdom the traditional concept of

development is to be replaced by the most modern concept

of sustainable development. The commercial attitude of

treating natural resources is to be replaced by the

conservationist attitude. The incorporation of

environmental interests in political and economic policy

making will help to redefine the developmental concepts.

This redefinition will be a solution to the present

conflict of interests and help promote development and

protect environment, which is the essence of sustainable

development.

References

1. Mathrubhoomi (24 January 1996).

2. From the ~nterview of the district presidents of

various political parties.

Ibid.

T h e m (28 March 1994).

K. S . S. Nair, Preface, KFRI Rewort on PoovamkuttY

proiect (Peechi: KFRI, 1989).

The Hindu (28 March 1994).

KSEB, s y

Proiect, Chapter 12 (1983), p. 117.

Ibid.

Ibid., p. 118.

- K. S. s . Nair (ed.), LQLlg term Environmental and

Ec --ttv Kydro Electric

E~oiect in the Western Ghats of Kerala: Pr-

c- sis (Peechi: KFRI, 1989).

Ibid., Preface.

Ibid., p. 2.

Ibid., p. 179.

The Hindu (28 March 1994).

K. S . S . Nair, n. 10, p. 236

Ibid., p. 237.

KSEB, Q a , p. 129.

The Hindu (24 March 1994).

The Hindu (14 July 1993).

20. Mathrubhoomi (3 March 1994).

21. The Hindu (12 January 1994)-

22. Mathrubhoomi (20 March 1994) - 23. The Hind3 (16 July 1993).

24. The Hindu (14 February 19941.

25. Mathrubhoomi (20 September 1994).

26. Interview with X. V. Surendranath on 6 December 1995

at the MLA Quarters, Thiruvananthapuram.

27. ( (7 June 1995).

28. The Hindu (8 October 1993).

29. From the interview with M. P. Mathai on 3 February

1996 at Pala.

30. The Pamphlet of the Pooyamkutty Samrakshana Samithi

dated 13 April 1996.

31. Mathrubhoomi (6 February 1996).

32. The (5 September 1992).

33. Government of Kerala, Administration Re~0rt of

Forests (1991), p. 27.

34. Ibid., pp. 27-28.

35, The ( (5 September 1992).

36. Ibid.

37. T h e a ( 6 September 1992).

38. The Hindq (9 February 1993).

39. lQ2&b& (20 February 1993).

40. Ibid.

41. The Hindu (15 April 1993).

Excerpts from the speech of the Commissioner and

Secretary of forest. The (20 February 1993).

Mathrubhoomi (6 September 1992).

The Hindu (1 January 1992).

Ibid.

The Hindu (23 April 1993).

From the proceedings of the meeting of Agastyavanam

Protection Council held on 22 April 1993 in

Thiruvananthapuram.

blathrubhoomi (17 March 1993).

Mathrubhoomi (11 September 1993).

From the interview with Sugathakumari conducted on 20

December 1995 at Thiruvananthapuram.

From the interview conducted with N. Bhaskaran Nair,

President of Travancore Devaswom Board on 4 February

1996.

Mathrubhoomi. (14 June 1995).

Mathrubhoomi (21 June 1995).

Mathrubhcomi (20 July 1995).

Mathrubhoomi (23 June 1995).

Interview with K. V. Surendranath on 6 December 1995.

~nterview with Medha Patkar on 8 February 1996 at

Thiruvalla.

Mathrubhoomi (13 February 1996).