Public verdict
this was a public hearing with a difference. For, the people succeeded in preventing the establishment of a clinker grinding and cement packing plant in Kerala. The experts panel unanimously recommended at the October 24 meeting that environmental clearance should not be granted for the plant. The unit was to be set up by Gujarat-based Saurashtra Cement Limited (scl) at Azhikode in Eriyad panchayat in Thrissur district of Kerala.
At the well-attended public hearing, local community members turned the tables on the industry representatives. Almost 90 per cent of the people present at the hearing were against the commencement of operations, reveals Paul Thachil, chairperson of Kerala State Pollution Control Board (kspcb), Thiruvananthapuram. Thachil was also a member of the public hearing panel. "The location for the plant is a densely populated coastal stretch where people are mainly engaged in fishing and prawn culture. The plant would have adversely affected the livelihood of these people,' observed the panel. Other fears associated with the plant included rise in particulate matter emissions and noise pollution. This can affect ancient monuments in the region.
Though scl accepts the
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