DNA: Ahmedabad: Tuesday, 06 May 2014.
In its race
to stake claim on Sardar's legacy, the Gujarat government announced
construction of an iconic 182 meter tall statue, the only of its kind in the
country, as a tribute to the Iron Man of India. However, it appears that in its
haste to publicise its novel intentions, the government missed or ignored
several important steps which was revealed in the response to an RTI filed by
activist Bharat Solanki on March 22.
The list of
alarming facts is long. From failing to make any Environment Impact Assessment
(EIA) report for its Statue of Unity, to take an Environment Clearance (EC)
certificate for the project that was announced amid much fanfare on October 7.
There's more. In its reply to the RTI, the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd
(SSNNL) also suggests that no public consultation had been made with regard to
the ambitious project and there is no information regarding the villages to be
displaced by it.
Driven by
curiosity, Solanki filed an RTI to gain information about the ambitious
project. But the response he received only left him stumped. “RTI states SSNNL
has no information with regard to the EIA and EC. What does it suggest? It
means that no EIA report has been prepared by the government while no EC has
been taken by the government,” the activist said.
Similarly, to
another query regarding whether any public consultation had been made, the RTI
replied that the information sought by him is not clear and thus, there is zero
information! “This states that government did not carry out any public
consultation and didn’t even bother to take public opinion.” Solanki said,
adding, “This is a democratic country and people's opinion must be sought.” To
a query on how many villages will be displaced by project, the SSNNL again had
no answer. “This only proves that government is not sincere and aware about the
project,” the activist lambasted. To another question as to how much land will
be required to set up the statue, and also which villages will be covered under
the project, the reply said that the tendering process is in progress. “It is
evident that government is providing misinformation,” said Solanki amazed at
the zero information provided to him on such important issues.
Environment
activist Mahesh Pandya said that Solanki's RTI is a proof that it was all about
making propaganda in the name of Sardar Patel. “No work has been done and
nothing is on paper. It is surprising that government is yet to decided on how
much acre of land they are going to set up the ambitious project.” He further
added that the silence on some queries only indicates that no EIA and EC was
obtained. Not even public consultation was done. The land has not yet been
transferred to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekata Trust, Pandya alleged.
On the other
hand, Solanki has made the first appeal to SSNNL’s Public Information Officer
stating that information provided to his RTI is inadequate and misleading.
.JPG)
.JPG)
