To,
Sri A. Revanth Reddy Garu,
Hon’ble Chief Minister,
Government of Telangana,
BR Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat,
Hyderabad, Telangana
Sub: Urgent Appeal to rescind decision to hand over Damagundam Forest to Indian Navy for Radar Project: Save 12 lakh trees and Telangana Green Cover, Ecology and Public Health – Reg
Dear Revanth Reddy Garu,
We are writing this letter on behalf of the Telangana chapter of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) Telangana, a coalition of people’s movements and concerned citizens across India, working for social, ecological justice and constitutional rights.
We are deeply agitated about the decision of the state government, under your leadership, to hand over the pristine forest lands in the Ananthagiri Hills to the Indian Navy, for purposes of establishing a ‘Very Low Frequency (VLF) radar station’, at an increased project cost of about Rs. 2,500 crores. We have learnt from media reports that along with Mr. Rajnath Singh, the Union Home Minister, you are likely to participate in the inauguration of the said Radar Project on the coming 28th July, preparations for which are underway by local elected representatives and officials.
Over more than a decade, local people organized as the ‘Damagundam Forest Protection Joint Action Committee’ and environmental activists have been flagging severe concerns regarding the impacts this Project would have, if permitted and executed. It is well-known that the dense Damagundam forests in Puduru mandal of Vikarabad district are very rich in bio-diversity. The forest cover here includes hundreds of rare tree varieties, especially medicinal plants as well as valuable flora and fauna.
We would like to draw your attention to some other long-term environmental impacts this project is likely to have on the state and people of Telangana. This area also serves as a catchment zone and destroying the forest could result in more frequent flooding in the city of Hyderabad. In addition to this, there is research to prove that tree barks are capturing Methane gasses, along with the trees’ function of storing carbon dioxide, making this mass-level of deforestation irreplaceable. This inturn provides for a safer local climate for the city to fight urban heat island effect while providing proper water cycle and monsoon base.
Mooted by the Eastern Naval Command (ENC), Vishakhapatnam, the VLF radar station is intended to communicate with ships and submarines, using low frequency radio waves. As per estimates, a whopping 12 lakh diverse trees would have to be cut-down to make way for the Project in the reserve forest land of Damagundam. The proposed project area of 2,900 acres of forest land includes 1400 acres for the Antenna Park, 1090 acres for technical areas, 310 acres for official, residential complexes and 100 acres of ‘safe zone’ for radiation hazard.
The casual response of authorities than an equal number of saplings would be planted indicates the complete lack of seriousness towards the concerns raised by local people, scientists and environmentalists. We have seen in numerous contexts previously as well as to how the claim of ‘compensatory afforestation’ is far from realised and it is in fact next-to-impossible to humanly recreate natural forests and ecosystems.
At least 60, 000 people living in across 20 villages are lives would be impacted, over time. Livelihoods of small farmers, cattle grazers etc dependent on the forest also would be affected. In addition to the important Musi River which originates in Vikarabad, Kagna, another river of the region would also be impacted. Forest-cutting would in turn adversely affect the entire river basin through soil erosion.
Experts have been cautioning about the potential health risks this Project is likely to have on people of the region, through radiation. Scientists have also warned about risks of increased pollen concentration due to large scale deforestation, that would have health impacts, in particular respiratory disorders, including on people residing in Hyderabad. The region is also known widely for the 500 years old Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy temple, an important religious and historical site.
It is owing to such concerns that the Hon’ble High Court of Telangana initially ordered a stay on the project for over 4 years, although unfortunately the stay was vacated earlier this year. It also needs to be highlighted that in response to a PIL filed in 2020, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Telangana admitted on affidavit before the Hon’ble High Court that a total 12,12,753 trees were allowed to be cut during the previous five years, and that it was the highest in the whole country. This is a shameful and tragic record that must be set right and not continued further by allowing gigantic projects, that destroy our precious forests.
Due to flawed ‘development’ paradigms, the entire world is reeling through acute climate crises. India already declared globally as one in top 5 most vulnerable, is no exception to the same and we have constantly been witnessing climate impacts on people, especially from vulnerable and working-class communities. Flash floods, heat waves, increasing pollution, crop losses and other impacts have become common. World over, Russia is the only other country, which has such an operational VLF project. Even technologically advanced nations like the United States had to abandon these projects owing to popular opposition on grounds of ecological and health impacts, reiterating the severe imprudence of the approval of such a project.
As Chief Minister of Telangana, we look upto you to uphold the long-term interests of the people of the state and its ecology. We call upon you to rationally review and withdraw your decision to allow the Navy Radar Project in the Damagudam Forests of Anantagiri Hills and communicate the same to the Indian Navy and Union of India, immediately. We owe a safe environment to the current and future generation of Telangana.
We hope this Appeal of ours will be taken with all the seriousness it deserves.
Thanking You,
Full List of Signatories in enclosed PDF.
ప్రజా ఉద్యమాల జాతీయ వేదిక / (National Alliance of People’s Movements)
E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]
