Supreme Court Order Kills Essar’s Plans

If you haven't heard so far, the Supreme Court of India cancelled 214 coal blocks allocated to private companies since 1993, deeming them illegal. And one of these coal blocks brings us to the story of Mahan, one of the oldest Sal forests in Asia and livelihood to more than 50,000 people.

Mahan was always an example of the illegalities and irregularities in the coal sector. From the start till now, the story of Mahan has been one of corruption, botched up tactics and intimidation. The allocation of the mine to Essar and Hindalco, which was deemed "illegal" by the Supreme Court, is just the start to the can of worms that is the case of Mahan.

STRIKE 1: This long and complicated Mahan saga in Madhya Pradesh starts with an ex-Environment Minister standing up for the highly bio-diverse forests of Mahan against mining companies Essar and Hindalco which used everything in its power to wrest the Mahan coal block for its profits. The power of corporate lobbying was evident when within just 3 weeks, the Madhya Pradesh government went from a NO to a YES when it came to allowing Essar and Hindalco to mine in Mahan.

STRIKE 2: The pressure on the Environment Ministry to provide clearance to Essar and Hindalco to mine in Mahan persisted even after a change in the Environment Minister. To hasten this process, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh reportedly went to the extent of going on a hunger strike.

STRIKE 3: The politics was equally skewed at the state and central level, but formal processses had to be still followed. One of the legal processes is to obtain the consent of the local forest dependent communities to divert the forest for coal mining. mining can only happen once a consent is got through the Gram Sabha. On 6th March 2013, a Gram Sabha was held in Mahan and the locals apparently gave consent for the coal mine. When forests rights activists filed RTIs to view the documents, multiple forgeries became evident, with signatures of people who had been dead for several years as well as people who weren't present at the Gram Sabha.

STRIKE 4: After months of resisting pressure from the companies and government to let go of their homes and livelihoods, the local villagers took action. On 22nd January 2014, the locals along with Greenpeace went to Essar's head office in Mumbai asking them to cancel their plans to mine in Mahan. The company did respond to their request but responded by suing peaceful protesters for Rs. 500 crore for what they termed as defamation.

ALL OUT: Once the companies and the government realised that there was a growing movement against the idea to mine in Mahan, intimidation began! In the nine months since Mahan became a major topic of discussion in India and abroad, there have been baseless arrests, death threats, seizure of legitimate communication equipment and even desperate cases demanding restraining orders against locals to keep them away from the company's power plant.

The story of Mahan is not just the story of one of the oldest sal forests in India, but of every coal block that's in a forest. This is a clear indication of where the desperation for coal is taking our country. India is at crossroads now. One path is said to bring us 'development' but through devious means, illegal forest clearances and through the dilution of rights of forest dwellers. The second path might be slower but will ensure that development and progress includes each and every person in India.


Today's verdict is a great opportunity for the newly elected government to prove that it wants to stay true to its election slogan, 'sabka saath sabka vikaas' by respecting the rights of forest dwelling communities and behaving in an environmentally responsible manner.

IB Report: Word play, incomplete information and emotional misguidance

Originally posted on Greenpeace website.

I assume if you are reading this, you are already well-informed about the Intelligence Bureau Report submitted to the Prime Minister of India. On the morning of June 11, as we were trying to go about our work, we got derailed from our schedule when an Indian Express article titled, 'Greenpeace, a threat to economy security of India' showed up on our news feeds. Yes, I work for Greenpeace.

Before even getting to the report and before forming any opinions, I just want to introduce myself. Here's my story: I am a 27-year-old Punjabi boy, born and brought up in Delhi. My parents sent me to Canada for my Bachelor's in Computer Science and had big dreams for me where I would earn loads of money, keep the family happy and live a prosperous life (just like any other Indian parent would). Life didn't turn out to be that lovely and simple. At the age of 23, with 14 months of job experience on my resume and a partially clear conscience of having attempted to clean Delhi, I took an approximately 50% pay cut and a job at Greenpeace, which also meant that I relocate to a new city (with the 50% pay cut).

I can brag about what I do or what I have done ever since but the point is, this is not just my story. This is the story of everyone who works in civil society groups that are actually trying to bring about a change in the country. This is the story where there are no incentives of higher salary, posh accommodation, or luxurious cars that lured us into doing the work we do.

This is the story where a kid's dream of a better world, a teenager's hope to see change, a young professional's urge to fix everything that's wrong, and a grown-up's passion for what they believe in, meets the opportunity. This is the story where these dreams, hopes, urges and passions weren't buried under pressure to earn money, buy stuff and live the way society tells you to live. This is the story of the new-age "hippies".

Back to reality: "Greenpeace, a threat to economic security of India: IB report"

Really? Here are the main points the report focuses on:

Foreign funding: The WORD PLAY. Let's gather how Greenpeace is funded and who this foreign funder is. Greenpeace is one of the few organisations in the world that works on a model of independence. To ensure that the organisation can stand against any environmental crime by any corporate or government, Greenpeace raises money from individuals. YOU are an individual. INDIANS are those individuals. More than 60% of funds are being raised from Indians living in India. Greenpeace does receive a grant from Greenpeace International. Guess where they get their funding from? INDIVIDUALS.

So, are all these people from around the world - lakhs of them - the real economic threat to India's economy? Not the wealthy corporates that just paid for all that marketing for each and every politician during the elections; ever wonder what do they get out of it? How does this investment get them any profit? Not the government that is now paving way for more so-called development projects; ever wondered who is investing in these projects? What happens to all the locals (70% of our population) whose land they snatch? Ever wondered who actually benefits from that American company (who can't set up more nuclear plants in their own country) setting up plants in India?

Targeting the IT sector: The INCOMPLETE INFORMATION. Let's try to manipulate the biggest community in the country that has access to communication tools, is proud of the country and can fight back for what they believe. How do we get these people against NGOs? The developing IT sector of India – the weakness. Let's say "Greenpeace plans to target the 'Indian' IT firms and hinder development in the country." Everyone's now pissed off and voicing their opinion.

Actual information: Greenpeace ran a campaign on the whole IT sector (yes, including brands like DELL) in 2008-09 to set up an e-waste policy. Proper handling of the increasing amount of electronic waste so it does not lead to an even bigger garbage problem in the country and this time with more chemicals running through our sewages and landfills – is this against economic security?

Oh wait, there's more. Greenpeace actually worked with the IT sector, and especially with Wipro, to achieve an actual e-waste law that now ensures a safer disposal. So, the economic threat of the country tried to help the country, joined hands with the economy boosters of the country and delivered a law to ensure lesser harmful chemical garbage around YOU. Damn these hippies who couldn't even be a proper economic threat. Can't trust these guys!

Anti-development: The EMOTIONAL MISGUIDANCE. Development, development, development. What does India want? Development.

What do people want? Development

India is on its path to? Development

What got Modi elected? Development

India needs to develop and it needs to keep up with the fast moving world but what is this development we are talking about. Think – what is development if the people are not allowed to devlop as well. Let's look at the process flow of how most companies have been setting up power plants.

The Bollywood version (romanticised): A company working for the future of India finds a source of power and wants to set up a power plant to create more electricity. It submits its report and an application to the government. The government approves the request since there is only a positive outcome. The Environment Ministry checks for the environmental impact of the project and makes some suggestions that the company agrees to. Next, the locals are consulted and with plans to provide them a better home and a job, they agree to the project. Fast forward, the plant is running and there is more electricity = They all live happily ever after.

The real life version: Companies look for various options to mine and set up a plant, identifies the one that earns the most profit for the least investment. It lobbies with the government to get the project approved (coalgate) and then the application has to be cleared by the Environment Ministry. The project is stalled for the longest time because the forest research shows a negative impact on the country's ecology.

The Prime Minister pushes and forces an environmental clearance. On the ground, the locals are consulted. Some are bribed by promises of a better future and other's opinions are forged, and a "clearance from the people" is given. Protests are met by threats to lives and police oppression. People are forced out of their homes into a re-settlement, which is right next to where the company will dump all the dug-out earth right next to the mine. With no farms anymore, the only work left to do is work in the mine. Old, young, children – everyone works in the mine while an amazing PR campaign sells the newly planted 20,000 trees, which are supposed to replace 3 lakh trees and thousands of species that live in this forest and a school that is supposed to promote education but will never see a teacher. The worst is still not done. Soon, mining will be done, some will have jobs in the plant and the others would be suffering from breathing problems while some would have run away to the nearest town to work as a labourer.

At the end, these guys who sacrificed their land to the power project hardly see electricity, have lost their homes and the water is polluted with fly ash. So, how did these people develop? How did the nation develop?

Greenpeace's pro-people, sustainable development ideology: This group called Greenpeace, of hundreds of Indians backed by lakhs of more Indians have come up with this 'anti-development' model that suggests that INDIANS of any caste, class or religion can have access to electricity without the current scenario of suffering by 2050 only if the investment in the dirty power projects is moved slowly and strategically.

Bihar: Greenpeace working along with the government in Bihar has set up a micro-grid in Bihar as a model for the country to adopt. A model that provides solar powered electricity to villages and completely changes their life. Electricity for all - energy equity – still anti-development?

Civil society is not against development. The civil society is trying to ensure that this country of vast population and huge class divides ensures that the future is safe and secure for everyone. Ensure that the divide does not get bigger; instead the country develops together, with its people and its environment. Sustainable development is possible and that's the second option in front of us. It does not get corporates immediate huge profits, it does not get governments immediate recognition for their work, it does not get politicians corrupt money to clear such projects and it does not get political parties more funding for their next election. It only gets people a better, greener future and lets them keep the ecological pride of their country with it. It's a WIN-WIN only for you and that's why I say, the CHOICE is only yours!

It took me some time to put these thoughts down and I could have typed out more but it can go on forever. The fact is, if you are with civil societies, you know these moments bring us together but if you are someone who thinks NGOs are a threat to economic security, I hope this made you think and re-consider it. If it didn't, no matter what this IB report leads to, I still have faith in you and I think there'll be a better day when you will RISE and that day we'd be brothers and sisters in arms!

Namma Lal Bagh: Parks, Not Parkings

From 1760 to the present, Lal Bagh has been home to more than 1,000 species of plants. Over the years, this green space in the heart of the city has acquired the subcontinent's largest collection of rare plants. All set up around a 3,000 million years old Lal Bagh Rock - one of the oldest rock formations on earth.

Unfortunately, the current management thinks that apart from all the history and the bio-diversity, this heritage site needs a 5 acre PARKING LOT! According to them, this PARK is incomplete without a PARKING!

It has to stop: Please, SIGN the petition here

The story for far:

The management of Lal Bagh Garden has decided that it would be good to provide parking for 500 cars in the vicinity of the garden to supplement the existing parking area. To create such a huge space, they have chosen 5 acres of the most fertile lands available in the garden. Land that was previously planned to be used for planting medicinal plants. 500 cars vs. various species of medicinal plant in a botanical garden, take your pick!

The plan to convert the area into a parking lot does not just require the land but also asphalt cover, ruining any chances of re-using the land for any plantations later on. Nature’s soil vs. Man-made roads

When questioned about the impact on nature and biodiversity in the garden, the management has given the requirement of parking space for Lal Bagh’s famous flower shows, as an excuse. While such parking space would make it easy for visitors to park their cars during such events, it would literally be useless during regular days. Lal Bagh only runs a few events of that scale a year for anywhere between 15 to 45 days since too much tourism poses a risk to such rare and delicate species. Hence, 30 days of parking convenience vs. More bio-diverse botanical garden.

Solution:

The protests are not against providing parking facility but the specific choice of space so close to the flora collection that makes Lal Bagh such an important piece of land for our city, this state and the country. While parking facilities can be established outside the garden at walking distance, it would be impossible to regenerate this space of land which is dedicated to be the home to nature, not VEHICLES!

Show your support and ask the Horticulture Minister to listen to you at: http://www.greenpeacex.in/petitions/we-need-parks-not-parking-save-lal-bagh-3

Sun, sea and sand - The Prequel

5 days and 4 nights on a beach in a small town on the west coast of Karnataka. While the sun lit up the mornings, the moon made sure that the necks get a cramp looking at it. The clouds had their own good times spreading some showers every now and then but the stars made sure they were not missed either. The world was not just beautiful under my feet but also in front of me and above me and all I could think of was, how do I make this a sight I wake up to every morning?

Gokarna – Kudle beach

It all started with 9 months of non-stop work with taking days off only to rest my body every time I fell ill. Suddenly, in October, the work pressure looked diluted and at the first opportunity of a possible long weekend, I used up a few days off that I have earned and planned a trip to Gokarna.

It’s all about the journey, is it?

I always agreed with the phrase that it’s all about the journey until this overnight journey. While booking tickets for me and my friends and having had very bad experience with seat choices in sleeper buses, I made sure that everybody gets a comfortable seat in the overnight bus journey so we reach Gokarna fresh and energetic. After about an hour of the bus leaving the city, my nightmare started when I suddenly had to attend nature’s call as the driver refused to stop anywhere for the next 2 hours (I know this information is not what you were expecting but if we are talking about the beauty of nature why not touch the topic of how sometimes it can be disastrous). Anyway, this later got sorted and I still have my bladder intact.

The bus journey became a bad start only after an hour or two of us falling asleep when we made it to the part of the highway that was affected by recent rains and had more potholes than milestones. So the journey to the end of land and beginning of the sea began with a sleepless night.

The relief for eyes, soul and taste buds

After the sleepless night and a 20 minute walk in harsh sunlight, when we finally made it to the beach, the ocean as if was excited to see me had waves trying to reach out to get a hold of me and I couldn’t wait to just get settled and enjoy nature’s elements. And after taking a shower and getting rid of the bus smell and sweat, we finally made it to the beach. Yes, the BEACH!

Italian, the brunch option I picked at this amazing beach where a dozen shacks serve you various European/American/Indian meals throughout the day and have had tasted the original cuisines, I have to say they do a very good job at it. Though, the first day and a half was spent trying out different shacks, we eventually all agreed that this one café offered the best seafood/vegetarian/meat meals with the best fresh fruit juice options to drain down the awesome food.

To be or not to be?

Though I was delighted to be on the beach and loved the sight of land meeting water with high rocks faces on either side of the beach, I could not get myself to get into the water. I don’t know whether it was the fear of the sea or just the thought of miscalculation in the number of Jockeys I was carrying. For two days while all my other friends enjoyed the ocean and the sun, I was looking after their belongings sitting in a shack, obsessed with clicking pictures of crows, dogs, cows and various different living beings I encountered.

 

I realised that with the right kind of interest in photography, one starts seeing a possible masterpiece in everything around though capturing it can still be a task. I clicked many failed pictures to get to a level where I thought I was satisfied though it can be that I just gave up.

Leap of faith

My third day started just like the previous one and we ended up at the trying different shacks for various food options. Difference - a group of people playing beach ball (volleyball).  I jumped into the game and without keeping a track of what the score was, I kept on going till everybody retired and suddenly all the sweat and sun made me forget about the dilemma and it seemed like the ocean was calling me.

Somewhere somehow, the salty sea spreading over long distances had figured out a way to talk. Those waves rising up as if trying to stand up and face you to have a proper conversation, the water touching the shore and going back just to make another attempt to reach out to you and the sound of it hitting the rocks constantly as if making sure it has keeps your attention.

I was hypnotized and stepped in. As I got into the restless ocean, as some would say, it grew wilder but did it? I was standing there with the waves approaching me getting higher and higher and splashing me with that salty water but when I looked carefully, I felt invited, I felt like a celebrity. I was facing the vast ocean with the sun into my eyes as if a spot light one can’t directly look at and as far as I could see, I saw waves after wave and the farther they were, the taller they appeared as if an auditorium filled with people getting up to applaud me. Every drop in the ocean was trying to approach me and I could see it coming all the way from the back of the crowd. It must be a nature’s way of appreciating its various creations coming together.

Facebook status: Back from the beach and all I brought back is sun burn

The two days after the day of jumping into the water were spend playing Frisbee, beach ball, beach tennis and any sport we could get our hands on. The last day was disappointing with the thought that the well awaited break from the life of the city was coming to an end and I decided to stay out playing sports and jumping into the ocean at every chance I got. What I came back with was nothing less than a body looking like a sun dried tomato. And as I sign off this blog and add pictures to it, I am opening my new bottle of moisturizer containing Aloe Vera, good for sun burnt skin. Try it for yourself if you, like me, are stubborn enough to not just use sun block instead.

 

Sun, sea and sand

Here are a few lines that came up as I walked on wet sand (with translations)

Rishton ke karavan se judaa ho, / Separating myself from the relationships

zimmedarion ki bediyaan todd, / Breaking the bondage of responsibilities

Main nikla tha ek nayaa khudaa dhoondne, / I went away looking for a new kind of god (mentor)

socha tha meri kism ke aur bhi milenge. / Thought there would be more of my kind

Main toh kinaare pe kadam ke nishaan chhodta chalaa, / I left my footprints at the edges (coast)

par samaaj ke samudr ki lehren unhe mitaati rahi. / but waves from society's ocean kept on erasing them

A more detailed blog to follow over the weekend!

*UPDATE* - Don't forget to read the Sun, sea and sand - The Prequel

Na La Tomatina in India

La Tomatina, a Spanish festival - now in INDIA... All over India!

I have taken the time to review the other side of this fun-filled event in case it happens in India.

- Squeeze the life out of them - Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it and a household is food secure when they do not have the threat of starvation. Approx. 25% of the world’s hungry people live in India (approx. 230 million) and around 43% of children under five years old suffer from malnutrition and yet we want to throw tomatoes at each other?
(Source: http://www.truthabouttrade.org/news/latest-news/18380

- Why just tomatoes? - While people across the street beg for one appropriate meal a day and yet get nothing and there’ll be tomatoes being thrown, that is not the only resource that will be wasted. If this festival picks up, they’ll be a wastage of water to clean the mess afterwards (lesser water for the rest of the city), is that fair?

Protesting against La Tomatina

- They call ‘em rotten - The organisers of the festival have claimed that they’ll use tomatoes that are unfit for consumption. The question is how does one define unfit for consumption? Does it mean rotten, infested or ‘an excuse to throw them around’? When the organisers were asked what does unfit mean and where would they source these tomatoes from, they said they’ll come out with a press release. With the festival 10 days from now, still no answers!

- Jai jawaan, jai kisaan, bhaad mein jaaye bhooka insaan? - A contradiction to their own statement about ‘unfit for consumption’ tomatoes, the organisers have claimed that they are organising this festival because farmers in Kolar had to throw away a bumper crop due to fall in prices. So according to them, the solution in this case is to buy tomatoes and throw them at each other so the mis-lead youth and unfortunate farmer are happy while the hungry are still hungry and this solution is better than buying those tomatoes at a fair price and feed the needy? In a country with more than 200 million hungry people, buy the existing food crop, give it to the upper and middle class people, squish them, throw them and let the hungry die?

- Dude, what’s the occassion? - With a successful ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ promoting Spain and its culture, the organisers decided to replicate the festival in India (and this is not the only one). Spain, being a developed country, hosts this festival in only one city once a year because of cultural reasons and historical association. India, being a developing country, we will have one in every city because we believe in our rights that come with money.

- Lack of Transparency  - The organisers have failed to communicate on many issues n a transparent manner. For example, the organisers have made such promises “La Tomatina™ will ensure that a part of the earnings are donated to NGO's or Foundations which feed the needy. Details will be posted once things are concrete”. These promises are vague and there are no details given of any NGO’s or organisations.

                                           





We should all protest against this event for them.

Images sourced from the internet. From topnews.in, themedguru.com, outlookindia.com, toostep.com

Forests need a fool

This blog post has been published on the Fools for forests website

"Jungle jungle pataa chalaa hai, chaddi pehan ke phool khila hai, phool khila hai.” This song from the Jungle Book television series is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about the forests. Who does not remember sitting in front of the TV every Sunday morning waiting to get a glimpse of lush green forests, animals, birds, and people living in those forests. Imagine a new episode where all the trees are gone, the animals are getting killed on railway tracks, and Mowgli being employed to mine coal to power houses in the cities. Not fun anymore, is it?

Imagine a chapter on ‘forests’ in history books instead of geography for school kids. 
Imagine tears in our eyes when we listen to the song ‘Chahe koi mujhe jungli kahe’. 
Imagine camping in barren lands. 
Imagine Bollywood movies with couples singing around coal mines. 

Or just imagine Tom Hanks in Mine Gump. 
I know these reasons do not build my case but don’t they tell us the importance of forests in our lives?

Forests are a carbon sink. Forests are important for wildlife. Forests are a hub of biodiversity. There are many other reasons to save the forests but obviously those out to destroy forests don’t care about them, do they? 

Their argument is that India is on a high development path and it is foolish romance to think that we can keep our forests and still develop at the same rate. Development has to be sustainable and there are ways of ensuring that. But those governing our country are so ‘smart’.  

If that’s the case, then I am proud to be a FOOL! A FOOL FOR FORESTS!

Join the movement at foolsforforests.org/english/