CLAIMS

“For us protection of environment is an article of faith. We have natural resources because our previous generations protected these resources. We must do the same for our future generations.” – Narendra Modi

‘Forest cover will be increased’ and ‘protect and promote the interests of forest dwellers particularly the tribal communities’.

Reduce air pollution by 35 per cent in 102 Cities

Protection of the Himalayas, protection of Islands

                    – 2019 BJP Election Manifesto

TRUTH

During 2014-19, environmental regulations were systematically diluted through both legislative and administrative measures. Forests were opened up for mining and other extractive industries, especially by corporate houses recently permitted in these sectors, as also for infrastructure projects.

During the past five years, there has been a continued assault on environmental regulation, causing immense harm to the ecosystem, flora and fauna, and also resulting in considerable adverse impacts on the lives and livelihoods of millions of already marginalized people.

Forest Cover

The BJP Government has done its best to manipulate data related to forest cover to hide the fact that its policies have resulted in, and will further lead to, destruction of large swathes  of forest causing enormous harm to tribals and other forest dwellers, to bio-diversity and wildlife, and a wide range of ecological services.

Diversion of Tribal Lands

India’s State of the Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 shows that there has been a negligible increase in forest cover within recorded forest areas. Any increase in forest or tree cover has come in open forests outside areas shown as forest in central or state records. The Government has tried its best to open these up for non-forest uses, notably through the Amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act.

60 per cent of total forest cover and 70 per cent of very dense forests fall in districts listed under Schedule V of the Constitution and are also listed as “Tribal” in ISFR 2021, thus directly impinging on the lives, habitat and livelihoods of tribal people and other forest dwellers.

A large number of project categories have now been exempt from environment clearance under Amendments in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Rules, such as mining areas of certain size, ‘linear projects’ such as electricity transmission lines, oil/gas etc pipelines, highways or other infrastructure projects, besides ‘national security’ projects.

Failure to Curb Air Pollution

Indian cities, particularly in north India along the Indo-Gangetic plains, are among the most polluted in the world with over 15 Cities ranking in the top 20 most polluted year after year. Nothing has been done to remedy this situation.

Destroying the Himalayas

The Central government’s destructive concept of ‘development’, is wreaking havoc in the fragile Western Himalayan region. Reckless, poorly planned and badly implemented infrastructure projects in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand has led to numerous landslides, floods, subsidence of hill towns and other incidents.

Extreme rainfall events due to climate change are further exacerbating these problems. Four-laning of the highway with several long tunnels from Chandigarh to Manali has displaced many farmers.

Highway projects such as the 900km Char Dham Highway have been taken up and implemented ignoring the cautionary advice of geological and engineering experts. EIA norms were blatantly circumvented by passing a rule exempting projects of 100km or less from EIA and ‘splitting’ up the Char Dham into many smaller projects!

The Tapovan-Vishnugarh hydel project was completely destroyed leading to a huge loss of lives of workers and others. More than half of Joshimath town, the gateway to the Char Dham Yatra, has subsided, as have many other small towns in the region due to unplanned development beyond carrying capacity.

The collapse of the Char Dham Highway tunnel at Silkyara in Uttarkhand, is the latest of many man-made disasters caused by the BJP’s destructive path of development.  

Destruction of Sensitive Island Ecology

In flagrant disregard for environment, grandiose plans are being made for a chain of tourist and infrastructure projects in the Andamans, way beyond the carrying capacity of these highly eco-sensitive islands, including massive deforestation and involving islands inhabited by the last remaining isolated primitive tribes in the world and home to thousands of years old pristine tropical forests with numerous species unseen on the Indian mainland.

Palm Oil in the NE and the Andaman Islands

Oil Palm cultivation is being promoted in the Andaman Islands and the North East States, and a few other regions, under a Palm Oil Mission. It threatens the delicate ecology of the Andaman Islands and the North-East, where forest lands are most likely to be diverted for Oil Palm cultivation. Plantation of oil palms has led to large-scale deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia.

In spite of all the tall talk on environment, the BJP-led central government had failed to protect our forests, mountains and islands. Neither was pollution reduced and efforts undertaken to protect us from the impact of climate change. The government is more concerned about opening up our natural resources for plunder by both Indian and foreign corporations. These moves have to be resisted and defeated for the future of our country.

SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT!  DEFEAT BJP!

Published by Communist Party of India (Marxist)