Kochi: The reconstruction of the flood-ravaged Kerala should not be reduced to a bureaucratic exercise focusing solely on resurrecting the one-dimensional model of man-made capital, according to environmentalist Madhav Gadgil. Delivering a talk on ‘Sustainable Rebuilding of Kerala’ organised by the Indian Association of Lawyers in Kochi on Friday, Prof. Gadgil called for a basic shift in the development paradigm followed in the state by focusing more on social and nature capital.
The reconstruction should be undertaken after collecting the opinion of the people at the grassroots level, he said. Expressing regret over the present plight of Kerala due to the flood havoc, he said the development should also incorporate the local wisdom and indigenous knowledge. A few people at the top alone taking decisions on development is not the right approach, he said.
Prof. Gadgil, who chaired the expert panel for the Western Ghats ecology, insisted that the report of the panel was not a top-down approach. Expressing surprise over the recommendation of the Kasturirangan committee report of excluding the opinions of local community and local bodies on ecological matters, he said it was against the approach of the Western Ghats ecology expert panel. “We have called for the involvement of local panchayats and grama sabhas in formulating policies in the region.
The authorities always focus on the positive aspects of developments before the people. The people, however, have the right to know all aspects of development,” he said. For instance, the people in Kerala are still not having the complete details of the monsoon forecast and other scientific details in connection with the recent floods. It is a common practice in Kerala to have construction activities in ecologically fragile areas and forest lands. Such practices should be stopped, he added.
