Report subverts the real issues while focusing only on the frivolous ones

August 25, 2017, Kutch, Gujarat: Communities affected by the Tata Mundra (Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd – CGPL) coal power plant in Kutch have rejected Asian Development Bank’s Second Annual Monitoring Report to the Board of Directors on the Implementation of Remedial Actions.

Dr Bharat Patel, General Secretary, Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan, said, “This report misplaces its priorities to the least important issues leaving the main concerns of the affected communities unaddressed.”

He further told that this report trivialised as a part of monitoring process of the remedial action plan published in July 2015, which was itself rejected by the communities.

In its Compliance Report, published in April 2015, the Compliance Review Panel (CRP), a grievance redressal mechanism of the ADB, found noncompliance of operational policies and procedures resulting in failure to conduct adequate and comprehensive consultations with affected communities; prevent thermal, air, and chemical pollution; compensate people impacted by longer access routes to their traditional fishing grounds.

Anuradha Munshi, a researcher with the CFA studying the Mundra case, said, “Despite these findings, the remedial action plan developed by ADB lacked teeth. It trivialised the need for genuine public consultations with all stakeholders to understand the spread and depth of impacts.”

Gajendra Sinh Jadeja, a sarpanch in Mundra, said, “There has been no attempt to do a fresh ESIA/SIA despite recognising the erroneous process earlier. Nothing was proposed on health facilities, despite CRP reporting about air pollution, dust and ash contamination.”

He lamented that there had been no genuine attempt to make the entire monitoring and evaluation (M&E) process transparent since affected communities are not a part of the process. Instead, the same company and the same M&E consultants whose failure hitherto has led to such a situation were entrusted to conduct M&E.

Patel emphasised that the very fact that the second report mentions that, “CRP finds that since the first monitoring report, limited progress has been made in disclosing information and conducting consultations,” only shows the seriousness given to the process.

It is noteworthy that since 2015, when CRP’s final report on compliance was released, the authorities concerned have not identified the affected people. Moreover, the ones identified are yet to be rehabilitated.

“Does ADB want us to believe this is a serious process of compliance?,” Sinh asked.

 

A detailed press statement can be read at:

ADB’s Annual Monitoring Report on Tata Mundra rejected

 

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