New Delhi, Saturday, 17 July 2010: Union Minister of State for Forest and Environment Jairam Ramesh, today, made it clear that a final decision on the proposed Athirapally and Pooyamkutti hydro-electric projects would be taken by the committee headed by Madhav Gadgil. However, Ramesh revealed that personally he was against such projects that would lead to environmental hazards.

Jairam Ramesh after the discussions with State Electricity Minister A.K Balan was disclosing his views and decisions on the same. Minister Jairam Ramesh, however, assured that the committee would never adopt a prejudistic approach towards the proposed projects, which had already been a hotbed of controversy. The team would also consult the Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TGBRI), Forest Research Centre before making a conclusion, he added.

Expressing his stance over the Mangrove theme park at Pappinisseri, Minister Ramesh, said that its functioning was purely a breach of law. He insisted that already instruction to stop the functioning of the park, which had violated the Coastal Conservation Act, had been given and that strict action would be confirmed incase of flouting the rules.

At the same time, the Environmental Appraisal Committee(EAC) for River Valley and Hydroelectric projects would meet later in the day to have a call on the controversial Athirappally project. They would discuss regarding the reply of KSEB to EAC, clearly downplaying the issues suggesting threat to environment, as the site was situated in an ecologically fragile area.