ON JANUARY 15 this year, Kerala-based environmentalist M K Prasad signed a letter presented by a group of citizens and development professionals to the state's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The letter raised apprehensions about the proposed multi-crore high-speed rail project, Silver Line, which Prasad and the other signatories say would spell disaster for the state in multiple ways. Two days later, the 89-year-old succumbed to COVID-19-related complications at a private hospital.
A celebrated botany professor, Prasad had a rich legacy of environmentalism since the 1970s. While teaching at the University of Calicut, he wrote an article in Malayalam weekly Mathrubhumi on severe environmental and social costs of a mega hydroelectric power project planned in Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad district. The article evoked public response and ignited India’s first successful movement against a dam project. Then prime minister Indira Gandhi scrapped the project in 1984.
Denne historien er fra February 01, 2022-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra February 01, 2022-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
