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TEHELKA PILL
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"Two completely different rivers to be dammed. Two
completely different types of dams. Two completely different forest
types to be submerged. And, two completely different locations. Yet
the Rapid Environment Impact Assessments for both proposed projects
are identical. Word for word, para to para, section to section, and,
except a few minor differences, the villages, the species, the
climatalogical data, the water and soil analysis, the sampling
stations, are
all absolutely the same. How is this
possible?"
ESG's Leo Saldanha suggests that the idea was to
arrange quick environment clearance. The Murdeshwar Power
Corporation Ltd was assured by the government of early clearance if
it furnished an environmental impact assessment. Ernst & Young
promised to deliver this, at a cost, and did so in a matter of days.
It was submitted the same month, June 2000.
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Outraged at the
fraud of this magnitude, the
ESG
has ordered
a judicial enquiry
into the incident to
pin responsibility within the
government
for
allowing
this fraud
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It apparently plagiarised the Rapid Environment Impact
Assessment of the Tattihalla project, which is proposed about
90 miles away, across the Bedthi river. According to the
Environment Impact Assessment Notification, environmental
clearances for the project have to be given on the basis of an
Environmental Public Hearing conducted by the Karnataka State
Pollution |
Control Board and the Karnataka Environment Department. The
Karnataka Forest Department, the Karnataka Industries Department,
the Union Ministry
for Environment and Forests, and the Union
Ministry
for Power, have also clear the project.
ESG's
statement says that, excepting five pages that describe the Dandeli
project, the 65-page assessment prepared by Ernst & Young is a
copy of the assessment of the Tattihalla project. The Dandeli
project was not even proposed when studies for the Tattihalla
project were conducted in September 1999
Outraged at the
fraud of this magnitude, the ESG
has ordered a judicial enquiry
into the incident to
pin responsibility within the government
for allowing
this fraud. To save the environment assessment
report from becoming a hive of scandal, the ESG has also demanded
that the government must take immediate note of this act of fraud,
and should ban Errnst
and Young as EIA consultant in India.
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