The Human Right Forum (HRF) welcomes today’s interim order of the AP High Court cancelling G.O. 1107 relating to handing over of 972 acres of the ‘beela’ wetland in Sompeta of Srikakulam district to the Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC).
The HRF demands that the State government should at least now fulfill its Constitutional obligations and resume the ‘beela’ area without further delay. Both the Sompeta ‘beela’ as well as the ‘tampara’ in Kakarapalli, Santhabommali mandal of Srikakulam district which was handed over to the East Coast Energy Pvt Ltd are precious weltand systems, also known as the ‘commons’. In a significant directive on January 28, 2011, the Supreme Court in a case relating to a dispute in Patiala district of Punjab stated that such ecologically important ‘commons’ must not be diverted for industry under any cost. The judgement applies directly to both these wetlands.
We demand that appropriate steps be taken to preserve and nourish these precious ecosystems.
VS Krishna
HRF State general secretary
23.06.2011
Visakhapatnam