From ameen@vsnl.net Tue Aug 15 12:11:43 2000 Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 23:35:09 +0530 From: Ameen AhmedTo: Natural History of South Asia - General discussion and research Subject: The DAM(N) curse on Karnataka [ The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set. ] [ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set. ] [ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ] Yet another dam, yet another pristine forest lost. The torture of Mother Nature continues unabated in Uttara Kannada. I am furnishing some statistics on the Forest cover lost in Karnataka from 1956 to 1983 (Source: The Karnataka Forest Annual Report 1983-84). It might be distressing to note that most of this prestine forest cover lost is in the sensitive Western Ghats District of Uttara Kannada (also Shimoga to considerable extent) and most of it happens to be of evergreen type. Sl.No: Purpose Extent Lost (in Hectares) 1. Areas gone under submersion 35,840 2. Areas released for rehabilitaion of expatriated ryots 25,820 3. Areas gone under power lines 1,688 4. Areas given for cultivation 67,217 5. Areas gone under mining 42,678 6. Areas given for townships 1,791 7. Areas given for non-agricultural purposes 6,297 8. Area lost for Kalinadi project 12,500 9. Area lost for Chakra Project 2,600 10. Area lost for Varahi Project 15,634 11. Area lost for Gangavathi Project 10,039 12. Area lost for Colony and roads 333 13. Area lost for Bedathi Project Ist phase 290 TOTAL 2,22,727 From esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in Tue Aug 15 12:13:17 2000 Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 13:33:57 +0500 From: Environment Support Group To: Natural History of South Asia - General discussion and research Subject: Re: Ernst&Young and EIAs! To Vivek's response: >Ersnt & Young as EIA consultants! >Surely that's a joke, right? Right? We wish it were a joke, but certainly it is not. Recently Ernst and Young has advertised various positions in their YES "Environmental Management Services" and this includes EIA's (Mr. Hussain's explanation for the abbreviation is the most apt description of the quality of these assessments almost always). Most MNC firms, as part of their total package deals, offer you advise and help in securing all clearances, including envtl clearances. All for a hefty price of course.... but there is big money involved in power projects today, and environmental clearance is seen by most investors as an irritant to get over one way or the other. EIA is big business in India today. There has been a long term effort, esp by M. C. Mehta through PILs, and the latest legal attempt at this has been in the Cogentrix litigation, to set standards for companies involved in the EIA business. But Courts leave this to the executive to decide, and the MoEF's functioning itself leaves a lot to be desired. What when a Ministry that is considered one of the scientific wings of the Government has more than a third of their top directors and secretaries being administrators, (largely bureaucrats drawn from IAS, and this does not include the IFS bureaucracy). With the tens of EIAs produced in this country, the main hope of reviewing their scientific validity remains by independent efforts. And of course strenghthening of the EIA Notification and related notifications. To Ashish's response: >PUblic scrutiny would certainly help, including by insisting that the EIAs >be available in languages that local people understand. Someone correct me >if I am wrong, but I think EIAs are supposed to be available before a >public hearing, no? The EIA Notification requires EIA's to be produced only for a schedule list of projects of high impact. Even here the escape provision is of allowing "Rapid" EIA's, something that does not exist in its methodology, to be basis of a conditional clearance. As you are aware, this ensures that the REIA is often something that's put together in a tearing hurry, and the conditions that are imposed on its basis are usually not complied with. EIAs have not been guaranteed public access! (keeping with this country's motto of secrecy "in the wider public interest") But the Notification does not prevent its public disclosure either. Stressing this point I was able to secure from the Bangalore DC, access to all EIA documents of the Bangalore Mangalore Petroleum Pipeline... based on his magisterial powers, in an Envtl Public Hearing held June 1998. So the precedent has been set. What otherwise is normally given is an Executive Summary, which is usually a brochure for the project and the company. ANd no, not always, is it available in the local language as it required. And the Dandeli case is worse, where it is not available even. Leo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WE HAVE MOVED : OUR NEW ADDRESS Environment Support Group (R) 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From tigerfire@yahoo.com Tue Aug 15 12:14:15 2000 Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 20:05:47 -0700 (PDT) From: nirmal ghosh To: Natural History of South Asia - General discussion and research Subject: Re: Dandeli EIA of Ernst and Young Yes, I think Ernst and Young should be nailed for this. I second Vivek's suggestion on the note. We can circulate it to several environmental journalists' lists. For a company of standing to issue a fraudulent EIA is a serious issue. And in the process, if other firms' EIAs can be found to be flawed or fraudulent we should be able to make enough noise to get this whole racket sorted out. Bittu, you also have a lot of information. We should put it together. - nirmal --- Vivek Tiwari wrote: > Leo, > > If you can write-up a short note on this with the > relevant details, > and post it here, we should widely circulate it, > including on > international lists. > > E&Y and other large consultancy companies are > involved in EIAs across the > globe. On a South American egroup that I am > currently on, one reads exactly the same things > as we are seeing in India. A large > energy/mineral/timber/construction > company hires a large multinational consultancy > company to work thru the permit > process including EIAs. While Latin American > countries are not the best role-models > for democracy in action, at least due to the > proximity to the US, there is > greater scrutiny from American and European based > NGOs. > > Hats off to you and Pandurang and the few of you in > India for carrying the > torch for us. > > I am way out of my depth here - but is there a way > you can sue them > in a US court for corporate malpractise. Of course, > the expense > involved will be exorbiant unless a NGO in the US > takes it up. > > Vivek > vivek@ee.princeton.edu > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >From esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in Mon Aug 14 08:15:38 2000 > Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 15:12:51 +0500 > To: Natural History of South Asia - General > discussion and research > > From: Environment Support Group > > Subject: Dandeli EIA of Ernst and Young > Cc: "Pandurang Hegde" , > Balachandra Hegde > > FYI, enclosed message I received from Pandurang > Hegde. He has got a copy > of the EIA and confirms my earlier statements, that > Ernst and Young has > plagiarised on the Tattihalla report. > > We will be discussing what steps to take, but > certainly these will include: > a) Demand calling off the Public Hearing announced > b) Disempannelment of Ernst and Young as EIA > Consultants > c) Demand an high level enquiry into the incident by > writing letters to > KSPCB and MoEF and holding those responsible for > allowing such notoriety. > > I will post a detailed note on this in a day or two. > > > Leo > > From: "Pandurang Hegde" > To: "Leo" > Subject: EIA URGENT > Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 14:59:02 +0530 > X-MSMail-Priority: Normal > X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.71.1712.3 > X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE > V4.71.1712.3 > > Leo, > > As I go through the EIA of Dandeli Micro Hydel > Project it is very obvious > that it is a true copy of the EIA done for the > Tattihalla diverson project. > In fact while copying they are so foolish not ot > have changed some of the > factual things that it is no more possible to hide > the fraud called EIA. > > Some of them are: > > - The area comes under Kirwatti Range(in fact it > comes under Dandeli Wild > Life Sanctuary and Kulgi Range. > -They have not mentioned the name of the actual > site. > -The study they have carried on and the testing > stations in the upstream > and the downstream is not located near the site. > > In fact there are many inaccuracies in the report. > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > WE HAVE MOVED : OUR NEW ADDRESS > > Environment Support Group (R) > 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 > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail ^Ö Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ From esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in Tue Aug 15 12:14:28 2000 Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 11:23:17 +0500 From: Environment Support Group To: Natural History of South Asia - General discussion and research Subject: Re: Dandeli EIA of Ernst and Young Vivek, Pandurang and I are working on the note and will post it on the list for wide circulation all over. As you have seen from the S. America experience, this is standard business practice for most international consulting firms such as Arthur Anderson, Price Waterhouse, etc. Why even our own Tata Consultancy Services has brought out a wide variety of wholly condemnable EIAs. In the Cogentrix REIA Tatas along with Transoft of France fudged the air pollutiion models to project that pollution levels would be lower than the reality. There is a case against the Ministry of Environment for allowing such rascality to pass through their technical clearances and the hearing is tomorrow. With regards to suing E & Y in the US, I will have to check on the parentage of Ernst and Young, I think they are British. US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is the main channel for tackling such actions.... and the experience is mixed, I am told. However, all options must be considered. Leo At 08:59 PM 8/14/00 -0400, you wrote: >Leo, > >If you can write-up a short note on this with the relevant details, >and post it here, we should widely circulate it, including on >international lists. > >E&Y and other large consultancy companies are involved in EIAs across the >globe. On a South American egroup that I am currently on, one reads exactly the same things >as we are seeing in India. A large energy/mineral/timber/construction >company hires a large multinational consultancy company to work thru the permit >process including EIAs. While Latin American countries are not the best role-models >for democracy in action, at least due to the proximity to the US, there is >greater scrutiny from American and European based NGOs. > >Hats off to you and Pandurang and the few of you in India for carrying the >torch for us. > >I am way out of my depth here - but is there a way you can sue them >in a US court for corporate malpractise. Of course, the expense >involved will be exorbiant unless a NGO in the US takes it up. > >Vivek >vivek@ee.princeton.edu >------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>From esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in Mon Aug 14 08:15:38 2000 >Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 15:12:51 +0500 >To: Natural History of South Asia - General discussion and research >From: Environment Support Group >Subject: Dandeli EIA of Ernst and Young >Cc: "Pandurang Hegde" , > Balachandra Hegde > >FYI, enclosed message I received from Pandurang Hegde. He has got a copy >of the EIA and confirms my earlier statements, that Ernst and Young has >plagiarised on the Tattihalla report. > >We will be discussing what steps to take, but certainly these will include: >a) Demand calling off the Public Hearing announced >b) Disempannelment of Ernst and Young as EIA Consultants >c) Demand an high level enquiry into the incident by writing letters to >KSPCB and MoEF and holding those responsible for allowing such notoriety. > >I will post a detailed note on this in a day or two. > >Leo > >From: "Pandurang Hegde" >To: "Leo" >Subject: EIA URGENT >Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 14:59:02 +0530 >X-MSMail-Priority: Normal >X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.71.1712.3 >X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.71.1712.3 > >Leo, > >As I go through the EIA of Dandeli Micro Hydel Project it is very obvious >that it is a true copy of the EIA done for the Tattihalla diverson project. >In fact while copying they are so foolish not ot have changed some of the >factual things that it is no more possible to hide the fraud called EIA. > >Some of them are: > >- The area comes under Kirwatti Range(in fact it comes under Dandeli Wild >Life Sanctuary and Kulgi Range. >-They have not mentioned the name of the actual site. >-The study they have carried on and the testing stations in the upstream >and the downstream is not located near the site. > >In fact there are many inaccuracies in the report. > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >WE HAVE MOVED : OUR NEW ADDRESS > >Environment Support Group (R) >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 >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WE HAVE MOVED : OUR NEW ADDRESS Environment Support Group (R) 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~