Will continue our democratic fight for the environment, says Greenpeace

In the wake of an Intelligence Bureau report that specifically name Greenpeace India as an NGO that is contributing to the negative growth of our country as well as terming the organisation as anti-development, Firstpost spoke to Director of Greenpeace India Samit Aich. Aich talks about the mindless industrialisation, single window clearance and how it’s going to create a havoc on the environment.

 What impact do you think this leaked IB report is going to have on the campaigns of an NGO like Greenpeace?

First of all we don’t know the authenticity of that report. It’s a leaked report and it contains some malicious statements on not only Greenpeace but NGOs and civil society as a whole. It’s opposing the democratic voices in this country. I don’t know what is actually happening. We communicated back to the government on the very second day when it broke. We have not heard anything officially from the government regarding this matter. It was only in the media that this story is being played. Greenpeace is perceived to be an icon at what it does and we have always and will continue to work in democratic manner.

There is a perception among the general public that a campaigning NGO like Greenpeace has a negative outlook towards development.

It’s exactly the opposite. I can tell you that the number of donors in India has only increased over the years and the support I’m getting in the wake of this controversy is outstanding.

But the donors or the supporters of an environment campaign is a completely different social class. The large number of upwardly mobile section of the society, which look for more industrialisation and job creation, perceive an organisation like Greenpeace to be anti development.

First of all we have to understand what is development. A mad rush towards GDP growth is not development. You cannot have a sound economy if you do not have a sound ecology. And let me explain what I mean here. The World Bank, which is revered by government agencies, has estimated that almost 7 percent of India’s GDP will be negated just because of climate change. So I’ll say here, don’t listen to us if you think we are adversaries. Go and listen to World Bank. They are saying exactly what we are saying. All the stake holders should be brought in one platform and a dialogue has to be initiated. But development is that electricity has to reach every single household, which still has not happened in last 64 years since independence.

What is the corrective measure to shorten this ever increasing gap between the civil society activists and common people who are always doubtful of the motives of such entities? 

This entire air of suspicion has to go. What has happened in last 8-9 days is not desirable. First of all it was a leaked report. This suspicion has been indoctrinated in the system and that’s the root. I don’t understand why there can’t be communication. The media is only hyperventilating on the government but the media has to make sure that the government comes out for a dialogue. As I said earlier, all the stake holders have to be brought on the same page.

Since Greenpeace has a major operation in the disputed coal locks like Mahanta and Sasan, and now that there are talks of privatisation of coal blocks, do you think the Greenpeace campaigns to save these forests will be affected?

Private or public, the the harm will be the same. We have to understand one thing that development is not only mining or creation of jobs where you get a salary slip at the end of the month, development is to assure people of their livelihood. And mining in these areas is a clear violation of forest rights act. So we will keep our democratic protests and campaign alive.

Greenpeace has earlier worked with the center in close contact in a couple of cases. The former minister for tribal affairs personally vowed to look into the coal black related land eviction. Do you think there is now a complete change in the outlook of the new government?

I don’t think the governments are any different. Both the government have the same ways of working. Where utmost importance has been given to mindless industrialisation.

How is this single clearance window for industrialisation going to impact the conservation of ecology in India?

The single window clearance for industries is going to create a havoc on the environment. It can only happen in a country like India that a minster of petroleum is also in charge of the ministry of environment. Veerappa Moily, in his first 9 days, gave clearance to investment of more than one lakh crore. We have calculated. It shows that every file was handled for not more than seven minutes. It’s a joke. It’s a seditious behaviour from a minister who was actually working against the interest of the country.