PROTEST RALLY GEPIL SURAT 16-1-2012 From Khajod village to Surat Collector office.

ખજોદ ગામથી કલેક્ટર ઓફિસ સુધીની ગેપિલને કાયમી ધોરણે બંધ કરવા માટેની  માંગ સાથે પરીવર્તન ટ્રસ્ટની ૧૬-૧-૨૦૧૨ની રેલી 

 

Surat villagers hit streets for closure of "polluting unit" 
Share| Express news service : Surat, Tue Jan 17 2012, 04:41 hrs 

LED by Mahuva BJP MLA Dr Kanu Kalsaria and former Congress Minister Sanath Mehta, thousands of people from over 30 villages of Surat district took out a rally in Sachin today demanding closure of Gujarat Environment Protection Infrastructure Limited (GEPIL). The rally, under the banner of Parivartan Trust, culminated at the district collectorate where the leaders submitted a memorandum to district collector A J Shah, demanding strict action against GEPIL owner Girish Luthra for allegedly polluting the Unn creek. 

Last year, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board had found three illegal connections of GEPIL joined to the central effluent treatment plant of the GIDC to discharge hazardous waste. Villagers say this contaminated the Unn creek and several cattle died after consuming the creek water as well as lakhs of fish. “The anger and dissatisfaction was seen on the faces of the peple who have fallen victim to GEPIL. Their demand is genuine as it is for the welfare of people. We want the company to shut down permanently. We have given the district collector a month‟s time for this,” said Dr Kalsaria. Parivartan Trust president Jayesh Patel said, “It‟s an age-old fight. We had made representations to different government departments earlier also, but nothing happened. After this rally, we feel that officials will do something.” Patel said they are planning to file a writ petition in the Gujarat High Court in this regard. “We have demanded that GEPIL owner Girish Luthra be booked for criminal negligencem” he added. 

The district collector said his office would forward the memorandum to the GPCB. “GPCB officials will decide on the demand for closing the unit. The company is presently shut down following orders of GPCB,” Shah said. Modhwadia seeks action against gepil Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia today demanded action against GEPIL for disposing of its untreated effluent into the sea, which, he said, caused extensive damage to the fauna and flora in the sea. Addressing mediapersons in Ahmedabad, Modhwadia alleged that GEPIL owner Girish Luthra was among the 24 chosen industrialists who had accompanied Chief Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to China in November last.

Surat villagers protest dumping of waste
Published: Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012, 20:43 IST By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

A huge rally was taken out in Kharod village on Monday morning, to give a memorandum to Surat collector to permanently ban Gujarat Enviro Protection & Infrastructure Ltd (GEPIL). The villagers are protesting ineffective functioning of the company which has been assigned the critical task of incinerating and treating several tons of hazardous waste received from industries in Ankleshwar and Vapi. It has been alleged that the company's incinerator has never functioned properly and the toxic waste is disposed into the sea through the Unnkhadi totally untreated.

In 2010, after scores of representations from villagers, GPCB passed an order to dismantle the company, but GEPIL managed to secure permit to continue to accept hazardous waste for incineration. However, of late, several big and small fish have been found dead near the Mindhola estuary. Recently, 300 buffaloes died after grazing on toxic grass and drinking contaminated water of the Unnkhadi passing nearby, where GEPIL is alleged to be disposing its untreated toxic waste.

Supported by Mahuva MLA Kanu Kalsariya, former finance minister Sanat Mehta and local activists, a huge rally reached the collector's office demanding permanent closure of the company.

Meanwhile in Ahmedabad, Congress president Arjun Modhwadia alleged that chief minister Narendra Modi was hand in glove with the polluting company. He claimed that owner of GEPIL Girish Luthra funded Modi's chartered flight to China and was part of his delegation, indicating this as the reason for the government not taking action against the polluting company.

However, the state government refuted the allegations. "This is an utter lie. Neither Luthra nor any other GEPIL official was on the China tour. We challenge Modhwadia to prove that Luthra had accompanied the CM to China," government spokesperson Saurabh Patel said.

Villagers demand permanent closure of GEPIL 

TNN Jan 16, 2012, 11.05PM IST Tags:  Sanat Mehta|  Parivartan Trust|  Kanubhai Kalsaria 

SURAT: Villagers of around 32 coastal villages surrounding the city took out a massive rally on Monday demanding permanent closure of Gujarat Enviro Protection and Infrastructure Private Ltd (GEPIL), which has been blamed for discharging highly toxic hazardous water in Unn Khadi. Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) in December 2011 had found two illegal connections directly discharging this hazardous waste in Unn Khadi. 

The rally, organised by the Parivartan Trust involving the leaders of the affected villages around Sachin, was spearheaded by BJP rebel Dr Kanubhai Kalsaria and former state finance minister Sanat Mehta. Tens of hundreds of villagers participated in the rally, which started from Khajod village and culminated at the district collector's office at Bahumali building at Nanpura, where the leaders of the Parivartan Trust submitted a memorandum to the district administration demanding permanent closure of GEPIL within a month's time. 

The villagers, carrying placard against GEPIL and its owner Girish Luthra, shouted slogans demanding immediate closure of the company responsible for threatening the ecology and atmosphere in the coastal villages. In December-2011, the GPCB had exposed two illegal pipelines from an Integrated Common Hazardous Waste Management Facility (ICHWMF) operated by GEPIL to dump untreated industrial waste into Unn rivulet. Following the expose, the GPCB had issued an immediate closure notice to GEPIL.

"GEPIL's illegal activities have been exposed in the GPCB findings and now we won't allow this company to operate further. The company is threat to ecology and atmosphere in the surrounding villages and it will be our sole goal to see that the company is closed permanently," said Prakash Contractor, secretary, Parivartan Trust. Contractor added, "Today's rally was a show of strength to the state government, GIDC and other concerned departments who are still not acting tough against GEPIL. We have given a month's ultimatimum to the district administration to permanent close down the company or else we will intensify the agitation"

Before the massive rally, Parivartan Trust organised a mammoth public meeting at Khajod village, which was addressed by Dr Kalsaria and Sanat Mehta. Kalsaria said, "I have been told that the hazardous discharge of toxic waste material by GEPIL has led to the death of more than 200 buffaloes. It is obvious that many villagers and general people surrounding the villages may have consumed the milk of these buffaloes and thus they are also suffering from one or the other health-related problem." 

Mehta said, "There are many such companies in Gujarat and across the country. Being an alert citizen, it is our responsibility to expose the corrupt officers in the government agencies who are helping such companies prosper."