Ex IAS demands penalise the persons responsible for environmental damage at Erra Matti Dibbalu

VISAKHAPATNAM: Former IAS officer EAS Sarma has alleged that the destruction of Erra Matti Dibbalu (EMD), a unique geo-heritage feature in Visakhapatnam, occurred without the necessary approvals under the Environment (Protection) Act, Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules, and other relevant laws.
In a letter addressed to Leena Nandan, the Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MEFCC) of the Government of India, Sarma requested that the destruction be treated as an environmental crime and that the cost of environmental damage be recovered and a deterrent penalty be imposed against those responsible.
Sarma also enclosed a detailed letter addressed to the chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh on July 17, which outlined the destruction of EMD, a unique geo-heritage feature at Bheemili in Visakhapatnam. He requested the MEFCC to send an expert team to assess the environmental damage caused, including direct damage to the EMD, which serves as a natural rainwater drainage system, loss of tree cover, loss of biodiversity, loss of nature-deposited sand dunes, and damage to the CRZ-I portion and its impact on the loss of bio-resources.
The former IAS officer suggested that the expert team should include representatives from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the local Conservator of Forests, and the local chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), represented by its convener, Professor Rajasekhar Reddy, who is an eminent geologist familiar with the heritage value of the feature.
Sarma urged the MEFCC to recover the full cost of the environmental damage from the Bheemunipatnam Mutually Aided Co-operative Building Society (BMACBS) and impose a deterrent penalty on the society for their brazen conduct. He also suggested that the MEFCC, in consultation with INTACH, GSI, and the District Collector of Visakhapatnam, put in place a comprehensive set of measures to protect the residual portion of EMD for present and future generations.
It is recalled that the local administration had allotted a part of a huge stretch of government land to BMACBS a few years ago for a housing colony without identifying boundaries and without taking measures to protect the geo-heritage characteristics of the feature. The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) recently issued approval for a housing layout subject to several pre-conditions, including the requirement of prior Environment Impact Appraisal and Environment Clearance under the EPA and CRZ clearance, as parts of the layout are located within the fragile portion of CRZ-I. However, BMACBS allegedly took the law into its own hands and destroyed 50-60% of the EMD without fulfilling the prescribed conditions, possibly through connivance with some local officials, he alleged.