The Green March to Chamalapura
Chamalapura, a tiny place in a geographical context is around 30km south west to the city of
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| View of Chamalapura |
This
village is geographically sandwiched between rivers Cauvery & Kabini and
has network of around 80 lakes lying within the radius of 8 km. The village is
significant as the two most crucial wildlife habitats, Rajiv Gandhi national
park at Nagarhole & Bandipur tiger reserve are found around 25-30 km. The
villagers have a simple agrarian based lifestyle encompassing biodiversity rich
fertile area, with their main crop cultivation of cereals such as ragi, millets
& pulses such as cowpea & cotton as a commercial crop.
Yet
this area was chosen by the Govt to install a thermal plant citing that the
area is barren & has no significant ecological importance. This episode
started a strong environmental movement by the green thinkers & the
concerned group of citizens from all walks of life of the Mysore
Though
many might say the proposed plant would have provided electricity to our energy
deficit state but the cost one has to pay is in terms of habitat destruction, as
the power plant would consume 3000 acres of fertile area including 600 acres of
forest land. The village’s bio-diversity rich areas get directly affected
resulting in degradation of the fertile soil, the water bodies & the ground
water. The native plants & animals will be permanently destroyed in the
longer run. Also, around 13,000 people would have been displaced in &
around the village. This would have created havoc to the people residing near
to the plant site by damaging their health.
The
effects of the thermal power plant wasn’t limited the village and its vicinity,
the beautiful city of Mysore
The
residual fly ash from the burning coal would have been dumped into the lake
bodies which would have made hem unfit for any sort of usage or it had to
shifted to the cement industry which are situated around 800km from the plant
site, which again a burden on the city roads.
The
continuous agitation against the thermal power plant from 2007 onwards bore
fruit and the project was cancelled. Today, Chamalapura might be a distant
memory but the event heralded a new chapter in environmental activism & a
green crusade against development for environmental conservation.
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| Participants walking to the hillock |
In
this backdrop the participants were taken out to the proposed site of thermal
power plant so that they get a clear ground zero picture & can be an eye
opener to the possible effects of environmental destruction. This will also
inspire the new generation to take up environmental activism and to walk the
green path towards environmental conservation.
Participants
were taken to the top of the hillock of Chamalapura where they experienced the picturesque
nature & its marvelous creations. It gave them a real sense of catastrophe
that would have brought on if the Govt had gone ahead in sanctioning the power
plant. They also saw the “Vijayagallu” installed on a hillock at Chamalapura.
This landmark was installed to commemorate the victory of the Environmentalists
of Mysore
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| Manu K addressing the teachers at Chamalapura |
The
significance was narrated to the participants by taking them to the very spot
where the proposed Chamalapura Thermal Power Plant was supposed to be built.
One of the forerunners who fought against the proposed plant, Mr. Manu K of MAN
elaborated the struggle behind the victory & the multifold challenges the
whole team of people had to undergo in reaching out to the people of all the
surrounding villages & conveying to them the dangers of such establishments.
Their united efforts finally paid the desired result in the annulling of the
proposed site by the ministry of environment & forest Govt. of India.
The
participants had a great time enjoying & appreciating the plethora of diversity
present in & around Chamalapura.
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