Kerala cardinals meet Sonia over green recommendations
Dec 19, 2013: A high level Church delegation from Kerala, including two Cardinals,
met Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling coalition in New Delhi,
to apprise her of their apprehensions over recommendations of a green panel.
Heads
of three catholic communities in Kerala—Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop Cardinal George
Alencherry, Syro-Malankara Major Archbishop Cardinal Baselios Cleemis and head of
Latin archdioceses of Thiruvanthapuram Archbishop Susai Pakiam—met Gandhi on Tuesday.
"We now have assurance that people will not be evicted, and no action will
be taken without considering the concerns of the people," deputy secretary general
of the national bishop's conference Father Joseph Chinnayyan told UCAN. He said the
Church leaders asserted that Church considers environmental protection a priority.
But it should not be done at the cost of people and families, said the priest, who
was part of the delegation.
Church leaders have been spearheading agitations
against recommendations of a high-level environmental panel headed by K. Kasturirangan.
The panel listed 123 villages on the hilly state's areas of the state as ecologically
sensitive and recommended restriction of human activities such as farming. If implemented,
the recommendation will adversely affect some 2.2 million people, mostly Catholics
in Idukki districts, according to Church leaders.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops'
Council now wants Kasturirangan report be "completely withdrawn" and a new report
prepared incorporating positive elements of the existing report, according to a resolution
the council passed in its Dec. 12 meeting.
Father Chinnayyan said the Church
leaders wanted to personally present the resolution to the national leadership. He
said the Church delegation was prepared to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but
could get his time only today. Since the cardinals had other important engagements
they left New Delhi and Father Chinnayyan will present the memorandum to Singh on
their behalf today.
A day before Church leaders met political leadership, the
Environment Ministry informed a special court that it has initiated steps to implement
the recommendations of the K Kasturirangan panel. According to reports, it also told
the court that officials are yet to finalize areas marked as "ecologically sensitive."
Father
Sebastian Kochupurackel, a catholic priest who led several agitations on the issue,
said the panel recommends restrictions, including constructions of houses, in areas
marked as "ecologically sensitive." In some villages goverment has already frozen
land deeds. "It means people cannot sell or buy their lands. Their land has become
worthless," the priest said.
Bishop Mathew Arackel of Kanjirapally described
it a "grave situation" for the people in the area. "It is not a Catholics' issue.
It is a people's issue. We should involve more people from other communities. Now
Catholic community is seen as anti-green. It is unfortunate," he said.