Two days after Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh declared that “environment could not be protected at the cost of perpetuating poverty” and highlighted the need for a ‘new balance’ between environmental concerns and industrial needs, the apex party president Sonia Gandhi seems to have taken a totally different stand.
Speaking at a ceremony to launch a 2*490 MW power plant at NTPC Limited (a Central PSU) at Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, she said that protecting environment was paramount and development had to be sustainable.
“We definitely need to generate more power from different sources to meet the growing demands from our farmers, our factories and our people. Economic growth is built on greater electricity production and consumption. At the same time, we must protect the environment to ensure sustainable development.”
“In whatever we do, we must not forget that our lush green forests and mountains, majestic rivers and all other water sources and clean air have sustained and nurtured us for millennia. We have a responsibility to preserve them for the coming generations,” said Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. She stressed the need for sustainable development and protection of farmers’ rights in the Land Acquisition Bill.
She also reacted to the verdict of the Supreme Court that endorsed the Mayawati Government’s acquisition of 25 million square metres of land along the six-lane Yamuna Expressway Project connecting New Delhi to Agra and Mathura.
“New industries and infrastructure cannot be built without acquiring land. This is obvious and there is no argument about it. But land acquisition must be done in a manner that does not result in the loss of large tracts of fertile and productive agricultural land,” she expressed. “If farmers are deprived of their land-based livelihood, they must be provided with adequate compensation and alternative occupations.”
Recently, after the Indian Environment Ministry rejected the Vedanta Project in Orissa, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had hailed the ministry’s decision and told the tribals that they had collectively won the battle. Rahul Gandhi had earlier proposed to make the draft land acquisition bill more effective so that it is well-received by both India Inc and the farmer community.
The apex court bench of Justices V. S. Sirpurkar and Cyriac Joseph took a leaf from the Allahabad High Court verdict of November 30, 2009, which dismissed the challenge of 35 land-owners against land acquisition – to explain its own judgment on Wednesday.
“The scales of justice must tilt towards the right to development of the millions who will be benefited from the road and the development of the area, as against the human rights of 35 petitioners (land-owners) herein,” the apex court bench observed. The verdict came nine years after the Uttar Pradesh Government decided to construct the 160-km expressway in 2001 at an estimated cost of 350 million dollars.
With divergent views taking shape between the Party President and the Prime Minister, the debate on whether environment or development is of paramount importance, is bound to intensify.
Think Newswire
