Hi Urvashi,
Five of us were detained for five hours for trying to meet the Prime Minister at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).[1] I wanted to give him the petition with over 250,000 signatures supporting forests. This won't stop me from pursuing him and his government till they agree to see me in person.
In three months we have set a strong base for the movement to save forests in Central India from coal mining. Among other things, hundreds of us occupied social media twice in this time. I spent a whole month in a forest threatened by coal mining.[2]
Governments and private companies can be challenged only if we are independent of them. That is why Greenpeace does not take money from either corporations or government bodies. Long campaigns like these are sustained only by financial support from individuals like you.
Can you make a contribution to help run this campaign to save the forests in Central India from coal mining?
This is just the start. The struggle to save our forests will continue till the government announces a moratorium on all future coal mining in the forests of Central India. There’s a national day of action against coal planned next month. I will write to you about that soon.
Here’s what all we did in the last three months:
- We reached the target of 100,000 signatures by October; after adding signatures from last year we now have over 250,000 signatures supporting forests. And the signatures are still coming in.
- Before I started living in the forests, I visited places and people affected by coal mining. My journey was aired on MTV which made a lot more people aware about the issue.[3]
- While I was touring the country, the CAG’s report on the coal scam became public.[4] Soon after this, hundreds of us occupied social media and added to the pressure on our government.
- On the day we occupied social media, junglistan.org became the most tweeted link in India. Pressure from all quarters made the government order an investigation into the scam.[5] Some of the coal blocks were also de-allocated.[6] But that was not enough.
- So activists occupied trees outside the Coal Ministry’s office in Delhi and asked the Ministry to end its greed for coal.[7]
- Before I left the forest, the Maharashtra Forest Department rejected Adani group’s proposed coal project in the Lohara forests, in Chandrapur.[8] This is a victory for the local organisations fighting to save forests in Chandrapur.
- Once I left the forests, I went to Hyderabad. As Jayanthi Natrajan inaugurated the CBD, activists including actor Amala Akkineni, unfurled a banner at the Charminar, asking the PM to end coal crimes.[9] The activists were detained by the police for two hours.
- On October 16, the day the PM was to address the CBD, we occupied social media again. I was detained by the police for trying to meet the PM.
Help continue this struggle to save forests in Central India from coal mining. Make a contribution now.
Thanks!
Brikesh Singh
Greenpeace India
Sources:
- Greenpeace activists try to meet PM, The Asian Age, October 17,2012
http://www.asianage.com/mumbai/greenpeace-activists-try-meet-pm-023 - Brikesh begins month-long tree top vigil for forests, Times of India, September 2, 2012.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-09-02/nagpur/33548437_1_forest-dependent-communities-hydrological-values-greenpeace-activist - Junglistan rises with MTV ACT, MTV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qPbdztt6zM&feature=player_embedded#! - Coal mines allocation to private companies caused a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore: CAG, Ibnlive, August 14, 2012.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/coalgate-caused-a-loss-of-rs-186-lakh-crore-cag/282348-37-64.html - CBI begins grilling in coal scam, The Hindu, September 18, 2012.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3908226.ece - Ministry acts: coal blocks of six firms cancelled, The Hindu, Septemeber 27, 2012.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ministry-acts-coal-blocks-of-six-firms-cancelled/article3939453.ece - Green activists stage protest outside Coal Minister's office, Business Standard, September 11, 2012.
http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/green-activists-stage-protest-outside-coal-ministers-office/55067/ - Forest panel rejects Adani’s coal proposal, DNA, September 19, 2012.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_forest-panel-rejects-adanis-coal-proposal_1742575 - Charminar sees Greenpeace stir, Deccan Chronicle, October 9, 2012.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/charminar-sees-greenpeace-stir-490
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