Monday, 19 April 2021

PRESS Silenced

DECCAN INQUIRER

Weekly e news paper

Editor: Nagaraja.M.R.. Vol.02.....Issue.16.................21/04/2021

From,

Nagaraja Mysuru Raghupathi ,

Editor , Dalit Online & Deccan Inquirer,

# LIG 2 , No 761, HUDCO First Stage,

Laxmikantanagar , Hebbal ,

Mysuru – 570017.

To,

Honourable District Magistrate ,

Mysuru District ,

Mysuru – 570001

Dear Sir ,

Subject : Web Paper Registration & Press Accreditation

Journalists are those who collect , analyze , report & publish news. As per law in India, Journalists are not granted any special rights or privileges and are on par with the Citizens of India. Every citizen of India has the right to question the government , public servants about their public duties. Journalists & citizens have the same , equal rights & responsibilities as per law. Paradox is those questioning citizens are made fun of & silenced by authorities.

As per law in India , Digital News Papers are not registered. Since years our publication is not registered and even press accreditation is denied to us ( at the behest of powers that be / mafia ? ) , whereas even those journalists covering cookery , lottery , movies are given press accreditation. Press Accreditation is an administrative convenience mechanism by authorities giving access to journalists. If a Journalist or Citizen does not have press accreditation that does not entitle authorities to deny him access to information , news. Sadly , authorities are doing that which is against law.

Hereby , I am once again submitting declaration about my two web news paper publications and request you for officially noting it ( as registration is not legally possible ) and to issue me press accreditation. I am herewith submitting my application digitally signed by me together with ID proofs , for your needful.

Date : 18.04.2021 Thanking You,

Place : Mysuru Nagaraja Mysuru Raghupathi.

( Nagaraja.M.R. )

Copies sent to :

1. Honourable Chief Justice of India , Supreme Court of India , New Delhi.

2. Honourable Chairman , National Human Rights Commission , New Dehi.

3. Honourable High Commissioner , OHCHR , United Nations , Geneva , Switzerland.

4. Registrar of News Papers for India New Delhi

5. Director Department of Information GOK Begaluru

6. Director Department of Information & Broadcasting GOI New Delhi

7. Director Press Information Bureau GOI New Delhi

DECLARATION 1

Name : ...........................NAGARAJA.M.R.

Address : ...................LIG-2 / 761 , HUDCO FIRST STAGE , OPP
WATER WORKS OFFICE , LAKSHMIKANTANAGAR , HEBBAL , MYSORE - 570017 INDIA

Web News Paper Title : DALIT ONLINE

Periodicity : WEEKLY

Circulation : FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION ON WEB

Donations : NOT ACCEPTED. Self financing . Never accepted any donations , subscriptions either for ourselves or on behalf of other organizations / individuals .

Monetary Gains : nil , never made any monetary gain by way of advertisements on my websites or web news paper or otherwise.

Owner/Editor/Printer/Publisher : NAGARAJA.M.R.

Nationality : INDIAN

Body Donation : Physical Body of Nagaraja M R , is donated to JSS Medical College , Mysore ( Donation No. 167 dated 22 / 10 / 2003 ) , In case of either Unnatural death or Natural Death at the hands of criminal nexus , my body must be handed over to JSS Medical College , Mysore for the study purposes of medical students.

Eye Donation : Both EYES of Nagaraja M R , are donated to Mysore Eye Bank , Mysore , In case of either Unnatural death or Natural Death at the hands of criminal nexus , my eyes must be handed over to Mysore Eye Bank , Mysore WITHIN 6 Hours for immediate eye transplantation to the needy.

Home page :

http://eclarionofdalit.dalitonline.in

https://dalit-online.blogspot.com

Contact : editor@dalitonline.in ,

editor.dalitonline@gmail.com

UID Aadhaar No : 5703 5339 3479

Cell : 91 8970318202

It is the duty of Supreme Court of India to Protect , Guard the constitutional rights , fundamental rights of every Indian citizen . Since 25 years I am appealing to SCI about issues concerning public welfare , national security , etc and as a result suffering injustices , my constitutional rights , human rights are repeatedly violated but SCI is mum even when repeated appeals were made to it. Paradoxically , after these appeals for justice , I have suffered more injustices , attempts on my life were made , physically assaulted , livelihood / jobs were denied , news publication closed , press accreditation denied , received threatening calls , blank calls, even to date rough elements follow us , rough elements scout near home at mid night. Does not these indicate some ties between rough elements & SCI Judges ?

Public Interest Litigation is an appeal for justice to the courts , to redress the injustices meted out to the public. Individual cases of injustices pertaining to an individual are not covered under PIL, however an individual an activist who is fighting for public causes suffering injustices as a result of his struggle ,caused by powers that be to silence him can club his individual case under the public causes (PIL ) he is appealing.

Nowadays people of questionable character , integrity are being selected to public posts , end result is present day india. In the following web sites I have shown few actual cases of crimes by judges & police , just imagine what type of justice common man gets.

Traitors in Indian Judiciary & Police

https://www.scribd.com/document/329980170/Traitors-in-Judiciary-Police

Crimes by Khaki

https://www.scribd.com/document/334590032/Crimes-by-Khaki ,

Police show full bravery , courage , use full might of law while acting against innocents , commoners. Even takes suo motto action. Frequently crosses legal limits while acting against commoners like 3^rd degree torture , arrest / search , seizure without warrant , arrest in mid night , etc . While they are supposed to take action against rich crooks , their own corrupt colleagues no suo motto action , delayed action inspite of complaint allowing time for rich crook to get anticipatory bail , no 3^rd degree torture on him , no arrest , search , seizure without warrant. Where is the bravery , courage of police ?

Judges show their full wisdom , apply rigid law book while judging cases of commoners , take suo motto action where as cases involving rich crooks comes before them inspite of repeated PILs they don’t consider it , let alone take suo motto action. Judges make far fetched interpretations of law , ultimately benefitting the rich crook. Where is the wisdom of Judges ?

I ,NAGARAJA.M.R. hereby do declare that information given above are true to the best of my knowledge & belief. If i am repeatedly called to police station or else where for the sake of investigations , the losses i do incurr as a result like loss of wages , transportation , job , etc must be borne by the government. prevoiusly the police / IB personnel repeatedly called me the complainant (sufferer of injustices) to police station for questioning , but never called the guilty culprits , rich crooks , criminals even once to police station for questioning , as the culprits are high & mighty . this type of one sided questioning must not be done by police or investigating agencies . if anything untoward happens to me or to my family members like loss of job , meeting with hit & run accidents , loss of lives , death due to improper medical care , etc , the jurisdictional police together with above mentioned accussed public servants will be responsible for it. Even if criminal nexus levels fake charges , police file fake cases against me or my dependents to silence me , this complaint is & will be effective.

Powers that be , higher ups have referred all my previous cases to police although in most of the cases police don’t have jurisdiction over it. It sends a subtle message by police force to the complainant to keep silent . In the remaining cases which are under their jurisdiction police don’t act against higher ups , high & mighty. In such cases police lack practical powers , their hands are tied although they are honest. As a end result , police have repeatedly called me to police station number of times ( have never called guilty influential persons even once) took statement from me and closed the files. Hereby , I do make it clear the statements made by me in my original petitions , PILs , news papers , etc while I was in a free & fair atmosphere are TRUE , over rides , prevails over all the statements made by me before police earlier and which will be made by me in future before police.

If I or my family members or my dependents are denied our fundamental rights , human rights , denied proper medical care for ourselves , If anything untoward happens to me or to my dependents or to my family members - In such case Chief Justice of India together with the jurisdictional revenue & police officials will be responsible for it , in such case the government of india is liable to pay Rs. TWO crore as compensation to survivors of my family. if my whole family is eliminated by the criminal nexus ,then that compensation money must be donated to Indian Army Welfare Fund. Afterwards , the money must be recovered by GOI as land arrears from the salary , pension , property , etc of guilty police officials , Judges , public servants & Constitutional functionaries.

date : 18.04.2021…………………………..Your's sincerely,

place : India…………………………………...Nagaraja.M.R.

DECLARATION 2

Name : ...........................NAGARAJA.M.R.

Address : ...................LIG-2 / 761 , HUDCO FIRST STAGE ,

OPP WATER WORKS OFFICE ,

LAKSHMIKANTANAGAR ,

HEBBAL , MYSORE - 570017 INDIA

Web News Paper Title : Deccan Inquirer

Periodicity : WEEKLY

Circulation : FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION ON WEB

Donations : NOT ACCEPTED. Self financing . Never accepted any donations , subscriptions either for ourselves or on behalf of other organizations / individuals .

Monetary gains : nil , never made any monetary gain by way of advertisements on my websites or web news paper or otherwise.

Owner/editor/printer/publisher : NAGARAJA.M.R.

Nationality : INDIAN

Body Donation : Physical Body of Nagaraja M R , is donated to JSS Medical College , Mysore ( Donation No. 167 dated 22 / 10 / 2003 ) , In case of either Unnatural death or Natural Death at the hands of criminal nexus , my body must be handed over to JSS Medical College , Mysore for the study purposes of medical students.

Eye Donation : Both EYES of Nagaraja M R , are donated to Mysore Eye Bank , Mysore , In case of either Unnatural death or Natural Death at the hands of criminal nexus , my eyes must be handed over to Mysore Eye Bank , Mysore WITHIN 6 Hours for immediate eye transplantation to the needy.

Home page :

http://di.dalitonline.in

https://di-weekly.blogspot.com

Contact : DI@dalitonline.in , deccan.inquirer@gmail.com

UID Aadhaar No : 5703 5339 3479
Cell : 91 8970318202

Traitors in Indian Judiciary & Police

https://www.scribd.com/document/329980170/Traitors-in-Judiciary-Police

Crimes by Khaki

https://www.scribd.com/document/334590032/Crimes-by-Khaki ,

Hereby , I do make it clear the statements made by me in my original petitions , PILs , news papers , etc while I was in a free & fair atmosphere are TRUE , over rides , prevails over all the statements made by me before police earlier and which will be made by me in future before police.

If I or my family members or my dependents are denied our fundamental rights , human rights , denied proper medical care for ourselves , If anything untoward happens to me or to my dependents or to my family members – In such case Chief Justice of India together with the jurisdictional revenue & police officials will be responsible for it , in such case the government of india is liable to pay Rs. TWO crore as compensation to survivors of my family. if my whole family is eliminated by the criminal nexus ,then that compensation money must be donated to Indian Army Welfare Fund. Afterwards , the money must be recovered by GOI as land arrears from the salary , pension , property , etc of guilty police officials , Judges , public servants & Constitutional functionaries.

date : 18.04.2021…………………………..Your’s sincerely,

place : India……………………………………Nagaraja.M.R.

Edited, printed , published owned by NAGARAJA.M.R. @ # LIG-2 No 761,

HUDCO FIRST STAGE , OPP WůATER WORKS , LAXMIKANTANAGAR , HEBBAL

,MYSURU – 570017 KARNATAKA INDIA Cell : 91 8970318202

WhatsApp 91 8970318202

Home page :

http://di.dalitonline.in

https://di-weekly.blogspot.com

Contact : DI@dalitonline.in , deccan.inquirer@gmail.com

Thursday, 15 April 2021

Polluted Mysuru

DECCAN INQUIRER

Weekly e news paper

Editor: Nagaraja.M.R.. Vol.02.....Issue.15.................14/04/2021

Industrial Pollution in Mysuru

- An appeal to Honourable Supreme Court of India

Reckless & greedy attitude of industrialists & bureaucrats is causing dumping of industrial waste in and around Mysuru. Repeated appeals to authorities & SCI has fallen on deaf ears. Is there quid pro quo ?

Once again we appeal to SCI to read the following cases carefully and

1. To order authorities to prevent further industrial waste dumping in & around Mysuru.

2. To order enquiry into young boy Harshel's murder. Identify the guilt industrialist and to order him to pay compensation to victim's family.

3. To order guilty Industrialist causing visakhapatnam industrial accident to pay compensation to victims, residents of affected areas.

4. To order Industrialists causing pollution of kapila river in Mysuru district to pay for it's clean up and to victims of Pollution.

5. To order police to initiate criminal prosecution of Industrialists involved in murder of Harshel , visakhapatnam tragedy & kapila river polluters.

Hope this time SCI judges won't act deaf and will do their constitutional duties properly.

With regards

Nagaraja Mysuru Raghupathi

Will the government hold Big Polluters liable for air pollution, preventable diseases, and untimely deaths?

By Sandeep Pandey

16.7 lakh people died in India in 2019 because of air pollution accounting for 17·8% of the total deaths in the country (source: The Lancet Planetary Health). Air pollution was the 4th leading risk factor for premature death globally, accounting for nearly 12% of all deaths, with more than 6.67 million in 2019 alone, shows the State of Global Air Report 2020. Each of these deaths could have been averted – and every disease caused by air pollution could have been prevented.

Air pollution is the biggest environmental health crisis we face and the WHO has warned repeatedly that air pollution is an invisible killer. The global death rate attributable to air pollution exposure is 86 deaths per 100,000 people. 92% of the global population lives in places where air pollution levels are above the WHO guideline for healthy air. As we write this article from Lucknow, Air Quality Index here is hovering around 465 (WHO limit is 50).

Air pollution is fuelling epidemics. Of all the deaths caused by ischemic heart disease (biggest killer on our planet) 20% are caused by air pollution. Of all the deaths caused by lung cancer (deadliest of all cancers) 19% are due to air pollution. 40% of COPD deaths are because of air pollution. Asthma is another condition people suffer from which is seriously aggravated by air pollution. Also, let us not forget that other major common risk factors- tobacco and alcohol use- for these diseases are also preventable. Should not our governments hold Big Tobacco and Big Alcohol liable for the irreparable loss of human life and suffering it has caused?

More alarmingly, climate change and air pollution are closely interrelated, further escalating the economic costs and health hazards for humankind. Yet it does not seem to be invoking governments to act with urgency. Air pollution warrants much more urgency to save lives and help people breathe life, and not inhale deadly disease-causing polluted air.

MAKE BIG POLLUTERS PAY

The Lancet Planetary Health published earlier this month further states that lost output from premature deaths and morbidity attributable to air pollution accounted for economic losses of US$ 28·8 billion (about INR 2,13,451 crores) in India in 2019 alone. “The states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with the highest economic loss as a percentage of their GDP, had the lowest per-capita GDP among the states of India, indicating that these poor states are most vulnerable to the adverse economic impacts of air pollution” states The Lancet.

With overburdened and appallingly weak health systems in India, and with additional challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot afford multiple epidemics of preventable diseases. No one should suffer from any disease that is primarily preventable. Likewise, no one should die prematurely from these curable diseases.

The President of India has recently signed an ordinance, ‘The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and adjoining areas, 2020’, with a provision for a fine of INR 1 crore and/or jail for 5 years for those violating air pollution norms. This ordinance has been brought in the background of the problem of stubble burning by farmers. All this while when industrial and vehicular pollution was deteriorating the quality of metropolitan air no government had thought of a strict law to check it. In fact, the history of Pollution Control Boards has been that of compromise on the issue of pollution in exchange for gratification by the Industry. As a proof one has to merely observe the pollution levels in the water bodies situated next to industries or big cities.

We conveniently and squarely blame the poor for pollution but ironically the poor consume and pollute the least. It is us, the privileged people who consume, abuse, and pollute our planet the most. Also, it is us, the privileged people (who live, consume, and pollute in an unsustainable manner) who are getting to decide the ‘sustainable development’ model. So, dumping all blame for air pollution on farmers for stubble-burning is not going to help anyone because we cannot have air purifiers everywhere and we, and our loved ones, need clean air to breathe and live.

Think: Who should be made to pay for these colossal health and economic losses caused by air pollution? Why should not governments recover the economic losses from corporations that have polluted our air? But if we look at past years, governments have diluted, watered down or weakened environmental safeguards for corporations, often in the garb of ‘ease of business’ or the ‘urgency to reboot economy’.

It is the government’s primary responsibility to ensure all citizens breathe clean air. Governments also need to ensure that corporations do not engage in any activity that pollutes our planet and its health, and hold those abusive corporations to account who have harmed our planet or our health in any way. Market-based solutions are not ‘solutions’ but just another way for corporations to fill their coffers. So installing ‘air purifiers’ is not the solution to resolve air pollution but stemming the source(s) of pollution and revamping the development model so that we stop polluting our air and planet, is.

PIL – Young Boy HARSHAL ’s Death due to Industrial Waste

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA ORIGINAL JURISDICTION

CRIMINAL WRIT PETITION NO. OF 2017

IN THE MATTER OF

NAGARAJA . M.R

editor SOS e Clarion of Dalit & SOS e Voice for Justice

# LIG 2 , No 761 ,, HUDCO First Stage , Laxmikantanagar ,

Hebbal , Mysore – 570017 , Karnataka State

....Petitioner

Versus

District Pollution Control Board officer , Mysuru

Joint Director , Department of Industries , Mysuru

Joint Director , KIADB , Mysuru

Deputy Commissioner , Mysuru

& Others

....Respondents

PETITION UNDER ARTICLE 12 to ARTICLE 35 & ARTICLE 51A OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA FOR ISSUANCE OF A WRIT IN THE NATURE OF MANDAMUS UNDER ARTICLE 32 & ARTICLE 226 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA.

To ,

Hon'ble The Chief Justice of India and His Lordship's Companion

Justices of the Supreme Court of India.

The Humble petition of the Petitioner above named.

MOST RESPECTFULLY SHOWETH :

1. Facts of the case:

Young boy HARSHAL died by burn injuries caused by industrial waste in mysuru , Karnataka.

During planning of Industrial Areas in Mysuru , waste dumping yards were NOT planned suitably and NOT allocated sufficient lands for the same , keeping in view industrial requirements 20 years down the line.

It is like building a house without toilet.

It is criminal negligence of duty by KIADB , Industries department officials who planned and approved development of these industrial sites.

It is criminal negligence of duty by District Industries department who gave license to these industries in the beginning without physically verifying about the waste disposal methods of these industries.

It is criminal negligence of duty by Karnataka state pollution control board officials who gave No Objection Certificate to these industries in the beginning without physically verifying about the waste disposal methods of these industries.

It is criminal negligence of duty by Karnataka state pollution control board officials , District Industries department officials who are renewing License / No Objection Certificate to these industries annually , without physically verifying about the waste disposal methods of these industries.

It is criminal negligence of duty by Deputy Commissioner , Mysuru District to ensure adherence to law by other department officials.

It is criminal negligence of duty , violation of law , CRIMES by responsible Executives / Owners of the industries who are dumping these industrial wastes in a hush hush manner.

Read details at following websites :

http://www.newscrunch.in/2017/04/teenager-dies-earth-suddenly-catches-fire-mysore-%E2%80%93-toxic-waste-dumped-says-official-video ,

http://starofmysore.com/boy-walks-vacant-plot-loose-soil-succumbs-chemical-burns/http://starofmysore.com/boy-walks-vacant-plot-loose-soil-succumbs-chemical-burns/

http://indiablooms.com/ibns_new/video-details/N/92557/watch-soil-catches-fire-due-to-presence-of-rubber-factory-chemical-waste.html ,

2. Question(s) of Law:

Is commonman’s life so cheap , dispensable ? If so , why cann’t you dispense off with the lives of children of PCB , KIADB officials , Industrialists ? Are not officials , Industrialists accountable for this criminal act of negligence ?

3. Grounds:

Requests for equitable justice , Prosecution of guilty officials , Responsible Industry owners.

4. Averment:

Hereby , I do request the honorable supreme court of India to consider this as a PIL for : “writ of Mandamus” and to issue instructions to the concerned public servants in the present case, to perform their duties & to avert further loss of lives.

PRAYER:

In the above premises, it is prayed that this Hon'ble Court may be pleased:

1. To order for fencing of the whole area , where industrial waste is dumped causing fire.

2. To order for 24 X 7 police vigil preventing any tress passers.

3. To order for supreme court monitored enquiry , as the industrialists are high & mighty and may manipulate the samples itself.

4. To immediately order district administration not to go ahead with spraying other chemicals over the dumping yard to neutralize the waste chemicals. As it will alter the samples and criminals , guilty industrialists will escape.

5. To order for sample collection by multiple bodies , NGOs , so that nobody can manipulate the samples.

6. After sample analysis by supreme court empanelled experts , based on expert advice steps to diffuse chemical waste must be taken.

7. To initiate criminal prosecution against public officials who planned , approved these industrial area without provision for suitable waste dumping yard.

8. To order for criminal prosecution against guilty industrialists.

9. To order for criminal prosecution against KSPCB , KIADB , Industries department officials who gave NOC , renewing licenses every year to these guilty industries.

10. To order Government of Karnataka , to pay two crores compensation to deceased boy Harsha’s family immediately and to recover it from the guilty industrialist.

11. To treat this as a PIL and to issue writ of mandamus to concerned officials in the current case.

FOR WHICH ACT OF KINDNESS, THE PETITIONER SHALL BE DUTY BOUND, EVER PRAY.

Dated : 19.04.2017……… ………………….FILED BY: NAGARAJA.M.R.

Place : Mysuru , India……………………. PETITIONER-IN-PERSON

Shocking but true! Mysuru has no place for dumping industrial waste

Truth is like a bitter pill. It is tough to swallow. Mysuru, which has bagged the ‘Cleanest city’ award for two consecutive years, does not have an exclusive place for dumping industrial waste. Shocking but it’s true!

The industrial area in the Mysuru district does not have any specific place to dump the industrial waste or hazardous waste. As soon as the news of a 14-year-old boy Harshal, who succumbed with severe burns after stepping in to an open site at Sadanahalli, came to light, localites alleged that the boy may have died when he stepped in to the chemical and hazardous wastes that were dumped illegally in the open place.

City Today went on a reality check to identify where the chemical and industrial wastes are dumped in the city. We found that there is not even a single dumping yard or industrial waste disposal unit across the district.

There are over 11 industrial areas including Hebbal, Metagalli, Koorgalli, Belavadi and nearly 32,000 industries in the district but most of these industries do not have an earmarked place for dumping industrial wastes. Though there is a rule from the KIADB which states that at least 20 acres of land in all industrial area must be reserved for disposal of Hazardous waste, the concerned officials in the district have failed to act.

For more than a decade, Mysore industries Association (MIA) has been battling to bring a dumping yard in the district. In 2007, the MIA requested the KIADB to allot land to set up a waste disposal unit. However, in the year 2009, the state government allotted three acres of land near Koorgalli Industrial area and decided to grant the maintenance responsibility to MIA. But later, the KIADB handed over only part of the land from the allotted property. Realising the fact that the industrial waste can’t be disposed in the partial land, MIA requested the KIADB to at least provide 5 acre of land and the officials agreed orally. But nothing has happened so far.

Speaking to City Today, Secretary of MIA, Suresh Kumar Jain said, “There is no dumping yard or an industrial waste disposal unit in the district. Though we have met and discussed with the concerned officials to sanction a suitable place, the proposal is still in papers and hasn’t come in to force.”

“The issue was brought to the notice during single window meetings but no proper action has taken place till now,” he added.

Last year, Mysuru’s waste management scored over Chandigarh to clinch cleanest city title. It is high time for concerned officials to allot an exclusive place for dumping industrial waste in the district keeping health hazards in mind.

Mysuru: Boy's death - did currency note printing chemical wreak havoc?

Mysuru, Apr 18: It has been confirmed that waste containing water sensitive chemicals had claimed the life of a boy at Naganalli in the outskirts of the city.

A team of experts, led by the district administration, which collected samples of sand from the area, has sent them for laboratory testing. The team found that the temperature of sand at the spot, which is finer as compared to sand found in other areas in the village, has brown and grey hues. Temperature at the spot stands at 110 degree Celsius, which is quite high. Chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Laxman, said that four samples from the spot and five from other areas around it have been collected and sent for testing. Geologists and environment pollution officials were among those who visited the area.

Some villagers have complained that discharge of poisonous chemicals by some factories located near this area has caused this catastrophe. Former chief minister of the state, H D Kumaraswamy, relying on certain sources, has placed the blame on the government mint in the city for the tragedy, duly accusing it of disposing off printing chemical waste at the spot. Secretary of Mysore Industries Association, Suresh Kumar Jain, also has supported this notion. He has alleged that the association had complained about the unscientific disposal of printing chemicals by Reserve Bank of India about five years back and that the Reserve Bank neither took steps to correct its mistakes nor did it establish waste processing plant.

Some scientists attribute this phenomenon to the presence of chemicals like Phosphorous and Sodium Hydrate. There have also been chances of graphite and lead having caused the death. The experts hope to receive test reports in about two weeks time. Senior environmental officer in Karnataka State Pollution Control Board here, K M Lingaraju, said that the officials were dumbstruck about the cause of fire in an open field where garbage or chemical were not found to have been strewn around. He also added that the place is far away from proper roads and that no tyre marks were found around the area.

In the meanwhile, district in-charge minister, H C Mahadevappa, announced an ex gratia of two lac rupees to the family of Harshal (14), who died of burns during his visit to the open field for defecation on Sunday. As Manoj (17) suffered burns after sitting on a heap of sand, Harshal, who had accompanied him, had pulled Manoj out. During this effort, Harshal reportedly fell into the heap and suffered severe burns.

Harshal's father, Murthy, who held the factories located around the area responsible for the death of his son, also criticized the officials for not doing their duty of taking steps against the guilty promptly. He wants the officials to at least wake up now to the danger posed by chemical waste and take preventive measures before the waste causes further devastation.

NSG Team in Belavatha - Radio Active Waste ?

http://starofmysore.com/nsg-team-city-probe-belavatha-mystery-fire/

Visakhapatnam Accident: Time For Strict Action

— by E A S Sarma

Shri C K Mishra

Secretary

Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MEFCC)

Govt of India

Dear Shri Mishra,

You are aware of the ghastly gas leak accident that took place at LG Polymers unit near Visakhapatnam in the early hours of 7-5-2020. Several persons in the vicinity of the accident site could not escape to safe places and got asphyxiated to death. Several others had to be hospitalised for serious health problems associated with their lungs, eyes, nose, skin etc. The impact of the toxic gases that got released from the accident site extended upto 5-10km from it. The disease burden caused by the accident will stay on for decades to come. In short, irrespective of the laws, the rules and the procedures in force, such an accident should shake the conscience of the nation and prompt those in authority to introspect and self-correct.

Initial reports suggest that the gases released in the accident predominantly comprise Styrene.

According to a study conducted by IIT, Mumbai (“Vizag gas leak: Styrene levels 2,500 times more on May 8: CSE Analysis” reported at https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/tab=wm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgxwHNMTsTdtrpdGPcnSWPrcFQqrM), Styrene levels in the air at several locations around the accident site shot up by more than 2,500 times compared to the safety threshold. If this were to be taken as an accurate estimate, exposure to this of the population residing within 5-10km of the site would have resulted in both short-term and long-term disease burdens. It would result in ailments associated with the lungs, the kidneys, the eyes and so on. Styrene is known to cause cancer. Considering the known toxicity of Styrene, it would also result in stunting the affected children’s mental abilities. All these social costs far outweigh the perceived benefits of giving a red carpet treatment such industrial activity.

Your Ministry cannot afford to assume the role of a passive onlooker in the case of the accident at LG Polymers or any other similar accident. You may have unwittingly or otherwise breached the Constitutional obligation of the State to protect the human rights of the citizens by facilitating ex post facto approvals for such potentially dangerous industrial units to operate.

Article 48A of the Constitution requires your Ministry as well as the State to protect the environment. Article 21 obligates the government to protect the citizen’s right to life. Article 39 directs the government to ensure the citizen’s good health.

In pursuance of Article 48A, your Ministry had brought in the Environment (Protection) Act [EPA] and issued several rules and notifications from time to time. The central theme of this statutory framework is to ensure that no industrial project is undertaken without understanding its adverse impact on the environment, without understanding its implications for the people’s health and without taking into confidence those likely to be affected. That is the rationale underlying the concept of prior Environment Clearance (EC) being obtained by a project proponent. If an industrial project gets implemented without an environmental impact appraisal and without public consultation and if your Ministry becomes a rubber stamp to “regularise” such projects, it will defeat the purpose of Article 48A and EPA.

Over the years, in the absence of a firm commitment to the letter and the spirit of Article 48A, I am afraid that your Ministry has gradually transformed itself from an independent regulatory authority into a an agency that provides a regulatory garb to thousands of hazardous industries and polluting industries that endanger the people’s lives, damage the environment and affect the people’s health.

The LG Polymers accident represents the tip of the iceberg of what is going happen in the case of several thousands of industrial units handling hazardous chemicals, not subject to any worthwhile regulatory scrutiny, beyond public accountability and operating without any meaningful oversight and monitoring.

The notifications issued by your Ministry such as SO 804(E) dated 14-3-2017 and SO 1030(E) dated 8-3-2018 that granted the largesse of ex post facto approvals “condoned” many errant units that preempted a stringent technical scrutiny, avoided a strict environment impact appraisal procedure and escaped a public consultation process. Had your Ministry respected the letter and the spirit of Article 48A of the Constitution and respected the Precautionary Principle in environmental jurisprudence, ghastly accidents such the one that disrupted the lives of lakhs of people around the industrial unit of LG Polymers would not take place.

We seem to have learnt very little from the Bhopal gas tragedy and I doubt whether we will draw any lessons from the latest Visakhapatnam disaster. In the ultimate analysis, it is the people who are forced to pay the price for the extra-ordinary affection displayed by the rules towards the larger businesses.

A time has come when your Ministry can no longer pretend that the changes being made in the environment impact assessment procedures would subserve the public interest.

I refer to the Draft Notification issued by your Ministry in March, 2020 proposing far reaching “simplifications” and paving the way for ex post facto approvals.

In this connection, I have extracted below an observation made by the Hon’ble Supreme Court on 1-4-2020 in Civil Appeal No. 1526 of 2016

“The concept of an ex post facto EC is in derogation of the fundamental principles of environmental jurisprudence and is an anathema to the EIA notification dated 27 January 1994. It is, as the judgment in Common Cause holds, detrimental to the environment and could lead to irreparable degradation. The reason why a retrospective EC or an ex post facto clearance is alien to environmental jurisprudence is that before the issuance of an EC, the statutory notification warrants a careful application of mind, besides a study into the likely consequences of a proposed activity on the environment. An EC can be issued only after various stages of the decision-making process have been completed.

Requirements such as conducting a public hearing, screening, scoping and appraisal are components of the decision-making process which ensure that the likely impacts of the industrial activity or the expansion of an existing industrial activity are considered in the decision-making calculus. Allowing for an ex post facto clearance would essentially condone the operation of industrial activities without the grant of an EC. In the absence of an EC, there would be no conditions that would safeguard the environment. Moreover, if the EC was to be ultimately refused, irreparable harm would have been caused to the environment. In either view of the matter, environment law cannot countenance the notion of an ex post facto clearance. This would be contrary to both the precautionary principle as well as the need for sustainable development “

While an ex post facto approval may enhance the “ease of doing business” as it is fashionable to describe it these days, it is simultaneously encouraging industrial units which are unsafe, which pollute and which damage the people’s heath. I would therefore earnestly request you to revisit the need for issuing the Draft Notification of March, 2020. instead of diluting the environment laws and procedures, in the public interest, it is necessary to strengthen them and introduce a greater sense of public accountability in environmental regulation.

I understand that there are thousands of industrial units which have escaped environmental scrutiny and are awaiting the munificence of your Ministry to “regularise” their dangerous existence. If you grant ex post facto approval for such units, you will only be paving the way for more and more such units to come up, defying any kind of scrutiny and monitoring. Please move away from the repugnant idea of such approvals and introduce professional systems of prior environmental scrutiny.

I would also request your Ministry to identify all such units that handle hazardous substances and all such units that cause heavy pollution and close then down if they have failed to be in strict compliance with the environmental norms. If you take the public into confidence, it will become easy for you in the process of identifying those units because it is the local communities that bear the brunt of pollution and risk.

I hope you will take immediate action on this.

Regards,

Yours sincerely,

E A S Sarma

Former Secretary to GOI

Visakhapatnam

Nanjangud turns Kapila toxic

Heavy metals from industrial estate pollute Cauvery tributary

The markers of chemical pollution are everywhere in and around Nanjangud, one of the State’s biggest industrial estates. Waterborne disease and “pollution-induced migration” are only some of the documented impacts among communities here.

But toxic effluents from the 532-acre estate — primarily lead from paper mills and also cadmium, chromium, copper and nickel, according recent studies — do not spare the Kapila, a Cauvery tributary on whose banks Nanjangud is situated.

If any further proof is needed, researchers at the University of Mysore have documented the accumulation of trace metals in freshwater fish in the Kapila in Nanjangud area, including zinc, iron, nickel, lead, cadmium and chromium, they report in the Journal of Pharmacy Research.

Not surprisingly, the water source has been classified in ‘C’ category (water needs treatment and disinfection for drinking) by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).

KSPCB officers, however, refute the charges that industrial pollution is a major problem in this town.

Edited, printed , published owned by NAGARAJA.M.R. @ # LIG-2 No 761,

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