PANAJI
The environment impact assessment (EIA) reports of the three controversial projects of the Central government cutting through protected forests in and around the Mollem national park have gaping holes and substantial inadequacies, a detailed critical assessment by a group of 30 scientists, wildlife researchers and noted environmentalists has exposed.
"Environment impact assessment (reports) for these projects are considerably weak" says the study by the group which figure in its ranks noted Goan greens -- Nirmal Kulkarni, Parag Ragnekar and Dr Nandini Velho.
Many in this group of 30 are attached either as faculty or researchers to reputed institutes and organisations like the Azim Premji University at Bengaluru, Mumbai's Wildlife Conservation Trust, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda among others.
The study also reiterated the demand voiced earlier in a letter to the MoEF&CC by 200-odd greens, for a detailed investigation to quantify the cumulative impact on protected forests of the three projects -- highway expansion, railway track doubling and the inter-State Tamnar power project.
Slamming the NH-4A expansion EIA report, the study questions the scrupulous omission of 'tiger presence' in it.
"The presence of the Bengal Tiger in the area is not mentioned. The EIA report states that no endangered species are found in the area which is clearly misleading, considering three endangered mammal species occur, including the Tiger, Dhole, and Indian Pangolin," states the study by the group of 30 greens.
The Tamnar power project, promoted by the Vedanta-owned Sterlite Power, and the two other projects -- NH-4A expansion and double tracking of the South Western Railway line -- collectively require over 50,000 trees in the sensitive Western Ghats in Goa to be felled some of which have already been cut.
These projects which got the nod of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) in a video-conferencing meet during the Covid-19 related national lockdown in April last year have triggered widespread protests in Goa over the last several months.
Apart from environmental concerns and larger issues tied to global warming, opponents of these projects are apprehensive that the government's unusual interest in hastily pushing for these projects are intended to facilitate a coal hub for transportation of the fossil fuel imported through the Mormugao Port Trust to North Karnataka's power and steel plants.
The study published in the journal of "threatenedtaxa.org" states that important bird, mammal and insect species prevalent in the areas covered by the railway track doubling project, are missing.
"Asian Palm Civet is coded as a carnivore, but the Small Indian Civet, Brown Palm Civet, and Stripe-necked Mongoose are incorrectly coded as herbivores; the otter and Indian Pangolin are coded as large mammals, but the Asiatic Wild Dog, which is larger in size is coded as a small mammal," the study described as a "scientific document"
said.
The effects of power transmission lines on birds and volant mammals like bats and gliding squirrels, or on species such as Slender Loris, Giant Squirrel, Bonnet Macaque, and Grey Langur is also ignored, the document points out.
The extensive report replete with appendices is extensive and exposes the cavalier manner in which statutory authorities including members of the NBWL considered the last line of defence for the environment when such projects are proposed, treat their statutory responsibility of assessing EIA reports.
