Campaign for Environmental Justice - India
CEJI is a network of voluntary organizations, movements, project affected communities, NGOs, research organizations and individuals working to address diverse environmental and social justice threats and challenges in India. Kalpavriksh has been one of the active members of CEJI and has been involved in several of its initiatives.
To know more about Kalpavriksh's involvement in CEJI contact Manju Menon (manjumenon1975@gmail.com) and Kanchi Kohli (kanchikohli@gmail.com)
· MoEF Suno and Chalo!
A series of events were organised in November 2005 to address problems and issues with the existing Environmental Clearance systems and how the proposed amendment could worsen the situation. These included a major Public Hearing in Delhi on 13th November 2005 inviting representatives of each and every movement, struggle group, NGO, etc. that has been focusing on environmental justice issues in the country. And a MoEF CHALO event on 14th November which coincided with the deadline for commenting on the draft amendment, which is 14 November 2005.
The Public Hearing (MoEF Suno) on 13th November 2005 was organized at the Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi. This was a day when groups from across the country congregated in Delhi to share their experiences with Environmental Clearance processes as they exist and also question the basis of the proposed amendment to the EIA Notification.
The MoeF Chalo involved a march to MoEF. This was an opportunity to individual submit issue-based representations, and also collective policy/legislation based resolutions.
The collective working on these issues has called itself Campaign for Environmental Justice in India.
Read more
Stocktaking of Environmental Impact Assessment Notification and Environmental Clearance Process
13th and 14th November 2005
Letter to the Prime Minister regarding draft EIA notification
Report of the Public Hearing on Stock Taking of EIA notification
Read more about this campaign on the Environment Support Group India website
· Death Certificate of the MoEF
· Perambalur Chalo
· 50 paise and a little motivation!!
Postcard campaign against the National Environment Policy
Over 2600 postcards have been sent to the Prime Minister in February-March 2006, demanding that the draft National Environment Policy (NEP) and draft EIA Notification, 2005, be scrapped. The writers include local government representatives, farmers, trade union members, students, political leaders, dalit and adivasi group representatives, social activists, youth club members, civil society and community based organizations as well as other concerned individuals. This demand comes because of the flawed process of drafting and adopting of both the NEP and draft EIA notification, 2005.
These postcards have been sent by people from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Delhi. Some of the mass based groups who have participated in this campaign include Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad, Kerala; Beej Bachao Andolan and Jan Chetana Andolan, Uttaranchal; Navrachna, Himachal Pradesh; Parkriti Manav Kendrit Jan Andolan, Punjab; Deccan Development Society and AP Coalition in Defence of Diversity, Andhra Pradesh; Aarthik Aazadi Andolan, Itawah, Uttar Pradesh; Keonjhar Surakhsha Parishad and Bharat Jan Andolan, Orissa; Jan Chetana and Dalit Mukti Morcha Chhattisgarh. Even NRI organizations from the US have lent their solidarity to this campaign.
This effort is part of an ongoing one and half year old campaign, which has repeatedly and consistently highlighted the substantive and procedural problems of the NEP and EIA notification. As part of this, several well researched open letters have been sent to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the Prime Minister of India.
A network of voluntary organisations, mass movements, project-affected communities, NGOs, research organisations and individuals have come together over the past year to focus on various environmental and social justice challenges in India. This is the Campaign for Environment Justice-India (CEJ-I). CEJ-I has played a central role since November 2005 in highlighting the complete degeneration of the environment governance process in the country. This has been through protests at the MoEF, issuance of a Death Certificate of the MoEF, as well as taking the message to the constituency of the Minster of Environment and Forests, Thiru A.Raja.
In yet another effort to apprise the Government of India on the various concerns related to the environment clearance process and the NEP, a letter has been sent to the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh on 3rd April 2006. The letter which is annexed with this note summarizes a range of efforts and issues raised so far. It demands the scrapping the current NEP and draft EIA notification, 2005. It also demands that these crucial environmental instruments be redrafted with widespread public consultation befitting the largest democracy in the world. Read more...
· August Action
Letters by members of parliament with short report as opening
