Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha, today lashed out at the Centre for “hastily” organising the function to inaugurate the Sethusamudram Canal Project, “brushing away” environmental concerns. She termed the function a ‘‘political roadshow”.The “unseemly haste” with which the inauguration was being organised, that too at Madurai and not at the coast where the project was to be executed was “indeed startling,” she said, declaring her intention to boycott the function.“Right from the beginning, the Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T.R. Baalu, has shown scant regard for environmental concerns relating to this project and has been intent on and content to merely have a grand show featuring his “patriarh” (DMK chief Karunanidhi) so that he can continue undisturbed in the Cabinet,” she said.Any canal project such as this involved massive dredging of the seafloor, she said, adding, “In such an ecologically sensitive project, maximum safeguards had to be provided . and the impact on the fishing community carefully evaluated.”Jayalalitha accused Baalu of “bulldozing” the Ministry of Environment and Forests for clearance even without waiting for the “No Objection Certificate” from the Tamil Nadu government. She said the NOC was mandatory under the regulations of the Ministry itself. Stating there could be no second thoughts about implementing the project, she said, “Subverting the process to have a grand function for political gain needs to be condemned. I am unable to bring myself to participate in this function.”TN panel rejects NEERI reportChennai: Former director of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Dr. M. Ravindran, who headed the committee set up by the Tamil Nadu government to study the environmental concerns, today said the Environment Impact Assessment conducted by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) was “inadequate and superficial.” He said the study barely touched vital issues like the impact on ocean environment and damage to the fishing zones. — ENS
