Kerala cardinals meet Sonia over green recommendations

Bishop Mathew Arackel of Kanjirapally described it as "a grave situation" for the people in the area.

(Photo courtesy: John Mathew)

Kochi:  A high-level delegation of the Catholic community from the southern state of Kerala met president of India’s ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, in New Delhi on Tuesday to apprise her of its apprehensions over recommendations of an environmental panel.

Heads of three Catholic communities — Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry, Syro-Malankara Major Archbishop Cardinal Baselios Cleemis and Latin Archbishop Susai Pakiam of Thiruvanthapuram — told her that the recommendations meant to preserve the fragile Western Ghat ecosystem would harm people settled in the region.

"We now have assurance that people will not be evicted, and no action will be taken without considering concerns of the people," deputy secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, Father Joseph Chinnayyan, told UCAN.

Church leaders have been spearheading agitations against recommendations of an environmental panel headed by K Kasturirangan that listed 123 villages on hilly areas – known as Western Ghats that was recently included in Unesco World Heritage list – as ecologically sensitive and recommended restriction of human activities including farming and construction. If implemented, the recommendation is estimated by the church to hit 2.2 million people.

The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council requested that the Kasturirangan report be replaced by a new report incorporating positive elements of the existing report, according to a resolution passed at its December 12 meeting.

Father Chinnayyan presented the memorandum on behalf of the delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday as the church leaders had left New Delhi for other important engagements.

A day before Church leaders met the political leadership, the Environment Ministry had informed a special court that it had initiated steps to implement the report but added officials were yet to identify areas to be marked as ecologically sensitive.

Father Sebastian Kochupurackel, a Catholic priest who led several agitations on the issue, said in some villages, “People cannot sell or buy lands. Their land has become worthless.”

Bishop Mathew Arackel of Kanjirapally described it a grave situation for the people in the area. "It is not a Catholic issue. We should involve more people from other communities so that the Catholic community is not branded anti-green," he said.