Actor Karthi, who has been helping farmers and encouraging youth to take up farming ever since he acted as a farmer in Kadikutty Singam, has strongly criticised the Centre’s Environmental Impact Assessment 2020 (EIA Draft 2020) saying development cannot come at the cost of eco-diversity.
In a statement released through his ‘Uzhavar Foundation,’ he said,
“In India, which is hailed as the best country, with many resources, the existing environmental laws are not enough to protect our natural resources and livelihoods.”
“Setting up of heavy industries at the huge and irrecoverable cost of this ecological harmony cannot be construed as a measure of success and development,” Karthi said in the statement.
He added that the proposed draft must be published in all languages and not only in English and Hindi, as it is now. He also questioned the haste to pass the law, in view of the Covid-19 crisis.
“Let us take this last opportunity to take the pros and cons of this draft to the attention of the people and take it to the notice of the Government through a public debate,” he concludes.
The actor’s elder brother Suriya has also come out against the EIA proposal and supported Karthi. Re-tweeting Karthi’s statement, Suriya tweeted in Tamil, saying, “More than the spoken word, silence is dangerous. To protect our environment, let us break our silence #EIA2020(sic).”
