Panel seeks two more months for Dow report

A day after Chief Minister Ashok Chavan declared a positive decision will be taken by the month-end on the Dow Chemicals imbroglio, a bureaucratic delay is already in sight with a government-appointed committee seeking a two-month extension of the date for filing its report on the project.

A day after Chief Minister Ashok Chavan declared a positive decision will be taken by the month-end on the Dow Chemicals imbroglio, a bureaucratic delay is already in sight with a government-appointed committee seeking a two-month extension of the date for filing its report on the project.

The committee headed by retired justice of Bombay High Court R J Sinkar sent a letter to environment secretary Valsa Nair on Thursday for an extension, just two days before the panel was to submit the report, on December 19.

Unaware of this move, the Opposition has said that they will not allow the government to give any extension as the chief minister has already given an assurance.

8220;This will not be accepted as there will be no value to the report after two months. The committee should have worked in the last month itself,8221; said BJP member Devendra Phadnavis speaking to the The Indian Express from Nagpur. Phadnavis, along with BJP8217;s Eknath Khadse, had called an attention motion about the controversy on Wednesday, which had forced Chavan to make the promise.

8220;This is a bureaucratic delay and we will not allow the government to wait for this report,8221; said Phadnavis, who is all set to raise the issue in the House again. 8220;The CM and Pune guardian minister Ajit Pawar had said that the issue will be sorted out before December 31,8221; he said.

The committee, headed by Sinkar, includes scientist from IIT Mumbai Dr SK Gupta, senior officer from Groundwater Survey and Development Authority Pune S B Khandale, and member secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board Sanjay Khandare. Earlier, the committee was to be headed by S P Kurudkar, but he was replaced following reports that he had a close relation working for the Dow company

The committee will have to hear the grievances and complaints of the public regarding setting up of the project as well as conducting site inspections. The committee was also supposed to find out if the proposed R038;D centre was likely to cause damage to the environment in terms of health, ground water pollution, air pollution and its impact. With the members asked to visit the site, the committee will also look into the complaints and objection, views of the local people, NGOs, and government agencies for setting up the project.

Story continues below this ad

The members of the Warkari sect, who have been campaigning against the project fearing pollution of the Indrayani river, are not too hopeful with this committee report. 8220;They are just extending the time limit,8221; said a Warkari. The Dow imbroglio is an eleven-month-old issue with the villagers and Warkaris agitating against the company expressing pollution concerns.