Times News Network

Mangalore, Jun 25:  SEZ Impact Assessment Committee has urged the prime minister Manmohan Singh to order a public hearing and provide the public with details of the ONGC’s petrochemical project.

In an open letter to the prime minister, committee convener Kateel Dinesh Pai said any project above Rs 5 crore needs environmental impact assessment and for this public hearing was a must. But no such public hearing has been conducted by the ONGC before announcing the project.

It has been officially estimated by the Mangalore SEZ Limited that the project, including the petrochemical unit, needs 136 MLD of water. They have also stated it was not feasible to source this from the nearby rivers without including private property.

At present, Mangalore city requires 80 MLD of water and it has been estimated that the water requirement for this growing city would be 160 MLD by 2026, he said.

The Mangalore SEZ Limited seems to have not made any arrangements or planning for the storage of water required for the project. Hence, it was necessary to instruct the Mangalore SEZ Limited to make their own arrangements for water without disturbing the flow of water in the Nethravati river. They should also ensure that the needs of the farmers and people for water would be met.

He demanded a proper rehabilitation scheme for the people losing land for the project and urged Singh not to support the project only with economic point of view but have a balanced view and consider social, environmental and cultural aspects before continuing with the project.