ગુજરાતી
English
Ahmedabad, 5 December 2024
Gujarat Heavy Chemical Limited (GHCL), which has been operating in Sutrapada of Gir Somnath for the last 35 years, is setting up its soda ash plant on the seashore of Bara village in Mandvi. The project will provide direct employment to 1200 people and indirect employment to 3000 people. But this will take away the employment of thousands of people engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. The environment, marine life, agriculture and animal husbandry will be destroyed in 10 villages around Bara village in Mandvi taluk of Kutch. People are protesting in 20 villages.
1304 acres and investment of Rs 3500 crore
Seashore will set up a soda ash plant in 1340 acres. The company has acquired more than 70 percent of the land. Rs. GHCL is setting up a chemical plant with an investment of 3500 crore. It will produce 11 lakh tonnes of soda ash per year, 5 lakh tonnes of compacted soda ash per year and 2 lakh tonnes of baking soda per year.The BJP’s Bhupendra Patel government is working on giving land and other approvals to the GHCL company. There is a lot of opposition among the people of the village against the GHCL company.
Power Plant
It will build a soda ash plant with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and a chemical complex with a coal-based 120 MW captive power plant.
Vibrant Gujarat
The company signed an MoU with the Gujarat government at the Vibrant Gujarat Investment Summit in 2017. When Vibrant challenged the Gujarat government team, the villagers decided not to take any help from the company in the village. Banners banning the company’s entry were also put up in some villages. The company has been operating a plant in Sutrapada for 35 years, where environmental problems have arisen.
Farming worth Rs 200 crore
The villages of Mandvi have prosperous, horticultural agriculture and animal husbandry. Gautam Adani’s Mundra port is 40 km from here. Being rich in agriculture, its annual turnover is more than Rs 200 crore. People will become like slaves by becoming owners of land and houses.
Gauchar land given
The company has acquired more than 70 percent of the land. 5 thousand cows and bulls of four villages graze. Bada village has 305 acres of Gauchar land against 2715 livestock, which is about one-third. The government should appoint Gauchar. An application was given to the collector. The second Gauchar of the land given to the company should be in 1 km. Gauchar and Santhani land should be taken back from the companies and handed over to the panchayats. Land should be given to the backward class and poor class.
20 villages protest
People from Mota Laijha, Merau, Baith, Dedhia, Undoth, Bhinsar, Godhra, Bhojai, Mapar, Bhambhadai, Changdai, Modkuba, Kokaliya, Panchotiya, Kathra, Khata, Janakpur and Vindh villages and others. Jain Mahajans from 20 villages are protesting.
Water threat
The company has been allowed to use water by desalinating seawater instead of underground water. Against the daily use of 16 lakh cubic meters of seawater, 15.80 lakh cubic meters of water will be released into the sea through a pipeline after necessary treatment. Ammonia water is a threat to marine life and the water released into the sea will not be completely clean, its pH level will be different. This is what is happening in Porbandar. The super-heated water used will be cooled again and released into the sea through an underground water pipeline. So the company says that this will not cause any harm to the marine ecosystem. But people called it baseless.
Employment from 10 thousand cattle
There are 10 thousand cattle in the factory area. It has pasture. Pasture has been allotted to the company. Destruction of pastures and environment will harm agriculture and animal husbandry. Which provides good employment. There is no need for employment at the cost of environment. Not only will new employment not be available, existing employment will also be lost.
Johukami
A public hearing was organized on the environmental and social impact of the company. In which there was a big protest against GHCL. Therefore, the public hearing had to be canceled. The Additional Collector canceled this hearing. Due to huge outrage, the hearing was postponed. The first public hearing was canceled in just 15 minutes. The government held a public hearing for the second time. Despite the incomplete report on the environment, Johukami and the police forcefully conducted the hearing. After presenting their objections for 11 hours continuously, tired, the officials forcibly ended the hearing. However, 5 thousand people protested in the public hearing.
So the company went ahead and gathered some people in support of the company and shouted slogans of Welcome GHCL.
An army of 150 policemen, including the Deputy District Police Chief, was mobilized by the government. Tear gas, water cannons were also kept ready.
Give proof
The officials and the company felt scared about their safety. Anti-people work was done by fencing 30 feet away from the hearing stage. Angered by this, the villagers started throwing shoes, slippers, bottles, gamchhas and whatever they could lay their hands on the stage right from the beginning. The public hearing continued even amidst the violence. The public hearing, which started at 11 am, was finally declared complete by the officer at 9.40 pm. The officials forcibly completed the hearing despite the pending objections and petitions of the villagers.
A note had to be made
On October 18, 2022, the chairman of the hearing committee and provincial officer Chetan Meesan announced that all the submissions would be recorded minute by minute and the report would be submitted to the Environment Board.
The name was removed
The local people removed the name and also raised slogans for 2022. Agriculture, education
Health, roads and livelihood are so developed that we don’t want any lollipop from the company. Transportation of thousands of tons of raw material, stone and salt of the company
There will be heavy pollution from Awan. Former BJP MLA Kanubhai Kalsaria, who agitated against Nirma company, also told the opposition that it has to be stopped at any cost. BJP MLA from Mandvi Anirudh Dave became anti-people and gave a statement in favor of the company. People believed that they want destruction in the name of development.
Impact
It is difficult to compensate for the losses caused by soda ash plants. Farm trees, farm plants, trees, animals, fishes, aquatic life will die. The disaster will reach the ears of the people. The fertility of the soil will be lost. The air will become poisonous.
Two beaches will be lost
Mandvi has two beaches full of natural beauty. One is near Mandvi city. The other is the beach near Asar Mata (Nana Laija). Asar Mata beach is just 5 km away from the factory of this company. So the beautiful beaches will disappear due to pollution.
No raw material
There is no chemical based industry in this area. The raw material required to make soda ash is not here. However, the GHCL company, the project of making SodaS is being postponed. Limestone, salt and coal are required to make soda ash. Which is nowhere in this taluk. Bringing the goods here will spread pollution on the roads.
Destroyed earlier
GHCL has a plant in Sutrapada which has destroyed the marine environment and agriculture. Mad acacia has also stopped growing. There is gas leakage in the drains. The surrounding villagers have become victims of diseases like cancer. GHCL company in Sutrapada is also openly disobeying the notices issued by the GPCB board of the Government of Gujarat.
Lie
Narmada water is available around Bada village.GHCL company has shown that the proposed plant site is unproductive under section 80G. Who lied to the government.
Why not Kandla?
There is enough land near Kandla and Mundra ports. It appears that instead of setting up a factory, a conspiracy is being hatched to destroy the environment of the bara.
Birthplace of turtles
The sea area from Mandvi to Abdasa has been made pollution free. There are 3 Schedule 1 species of sea turtles on this beach, Olive Ridley, Green Sea and Leatherback. Which come here to lay eggs. Eggs were laid at 6 places including Bada, Light House, Suthari. There is a demand to declare the coast as an eco-sensitive zone.
Pollution against the college
Mandvi has the only government science college for studying marine science in Gujarat. In which students from all over India come to study marine life. The factory will also affect the college.
500 colonies of peacocks
There are 500 colonies of the national bird peacock around the place where the factory is to be built. The colonies of Schedule 1 reptiles, birds etc. by the Forest Department are in the old Bada Lake area. All these information have been hidden by the GHCL company. Migratory birds come to the beach in lakhs. Bada Sarpanch Velji Koli said that till now we were living in the lap of nature. Now there is a fear of losing that lap. There is a possibility of unrest in the village.
Very wrong
A study report has been prepared by NEERI for the company. Making such reports in coastal areas is not acceptable. False report of an unrecognized organization. Earlier, the NEERI Institute was suspended by the Ministry of Environment, Government of India for 6 months for false reporting. The Environment EIA report is completely misleading the government. Report prepared without study. No permission or opinion of local people has been taken for any account of locality, coastal area, forest etc. The NEERI report is completely wrong.
During the public hearing, the villagers demanded a certificate, claiming that the agency that prepared the EIA for the company did not have a government-recognized recognition certificate, which the company ultimately failed to provide.
Birds of prey will be destroyed
There are 4 birds left in this area. Ghorad Bird Sanctuary is situated near the factory. The Supreme Court has ordered that the electricity lines be laid underground. Farmers have not been provided electricity connection lines for the protection of birds. There are grasslands of Bara, Bhambhadai village for the protection of Ghorad bird. The flock of birds coming to the factory will be seriously affected.
Will build a tunnel
There are shelter belt forests above the coastal villages. Which provides protection from natural disasters. Here GHCL company is going to lay a tunnel. Green house causes global warming. GHCL is also a greenhouse gas producing company. Agriculture will be ruined and trees will be cut down.
Cheria forests
A large area known as Naad near Bara village is very suitable for the cultivation of Cheria. Cheria forest can be created. So that the coast can be protected from storms and sea waves and fish production can be increased by producing marine life.
Goenka Vipassana Institute
It has the world famous Vipassana Institute established by Goenka. Where people from all over the country and the world come for mental peace. Vipassana is a unique gift of ancient India. There is also modern science which can be used to help young and old people deal with stress and crisis in their lives. Eminent people of Kutch have opposed this project. Soda ash plant attracts Vipassana people from all over the world.
The Soda Ash Plant will take away the peace of the people who come here for Vipassana. The Soda Ash Plant will disrupt the meditation of the people. The noise from the plant will increase so much that people will stop coming to Mandvi’s Bada Village for Vipassana. The pollution and toxic environment will prove to be harmful for the Vipassana Centre.
Congress
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee is with the local people in this campaign to save the environment and requests the government that the land allotted to GHCL should be cancelled immediately to save the livestock, animal husbandry, agriculture, environment and Vipassana centres from getting destroyed.
On one hand, more than 10 lakh trees have been authorized to be cut down in Gujarat in the last five years by the government, and on the other hand, the green cover in Gujarat is decreasing. (Google translation from Gujarati)
