———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Thanal Mail <mail.thanal@gmail.com>
Date: 5 July 2011 15:44
Subject: GM regulatory incapabilities/inefficiencies/apathy in India – Put an immediate stop to all environmental releases of GMOs
Cc: “M. Fayazuddin” <mffarooqui@nic.in>To: July 5th 2011
Minister for Environment & Forests (I/C),
Government of India.
Dear Sir,
Sub: GM regulatory incapabilities/inefficiencies/
You might be aware of the serious violations documented in the GM maize seed production plot of Monsanto in Karnataka by Greenpeace India and a Kannada TV channel, and the story was prominently telecast yesterday (attached are a press release and Greenpeace’s letters to GEAC/Karnataka government which list out all the violations). While all these violations were documented after the season, one shudders to think of other violations during the cultivation phase!
- This episode once again showcases the lack of institutional mechanisms for oversight and implementation of biosafety norms and even lack of adequate biosafety norms when it comes to open air releases including for seed production permissions of GMOs in India. With regard to this episode, it is very important that the GM cultivation plot and surrounding areas are cordoned off and tested for contamination immediately and appropriate containment measures taken.
- It is not clear why GEAC should have cleared 25 acres of seed production of GM maize of Monsanto, which is essentially for an untested product. Even at an average yield of just 20 quintals per acre, the produce from these 25 acres will be adequate for 10,000 acres – this cannot be for research obviously and can only be for commercialisation! It appears that GEAC has no scientific rationale behind permitting such seed production (and in particular, extents) and no control over what happens to such seed. Does this kind of seed production mean that GEAC is anticipating, as the company might be, that GM maize will be commercialized soon and is supporting the company in its preparations?
- It is being proven time and time again that open air releases of untested GMOs are not under anybody’s control in this country. There are other examples too from the past, including the case of Mahyco planting unapproved illegal herbicide-tolerant GM cotton in its trial fields and the illegal proliferation of herbicide tolerant GM cotton of another kind found in several states (with the state governments confirming this to the GEAC).
- The regulators are not ridding themselves of objectionable conflicting interests and unscientific functioning despite repeated instances which have come to light; the recent example of Dr Swapan Datta is a very black-and-white case of conflict of interest that cannot be explained away as a “scientific intervention”. Before this, for the April 27th consultation with ‘experts’ on Bt brinjal, the GEAC did not hesitate to call ‘experts’ who are GM crop developers including one expert whose institution receives funding from Mahyco, to pronounce his views on Bt brinjal and its safety. All of this is completely unacceptable and has further eroded our meagre confidence in the regulators.
- The fact that the regulators do not seem to have realized and internalised that in this case, the EPA 1989 Rules have been created with a specific purpose of protecting Nature, health and environment from the risks posed by GMOs is witnessed time and again. They continue to look at themselves as a clearing house of GM applications, despite your decision to change their mandate from “approval” to “appraisal” committee. A recent example is that of GM rubber trials permitted in two states for 14 years; one of the areas is Dahanu declared as an ecologically fragile taluka within the eco-sensitive/bio-diverse Western Ghats. The permission letter that is supposed to lay down the biosafety norms to be followed for the trial was a copy and paste job from an annual crop single season trial approval letter. On our objections raised to GEAC, the only step taken by GEAC is of forwarding our letter to RCGM to re-examine, while the immediate action should have been to revoke permissions given and stop the trials from being started. This lax attitude and irresponsibility on such serious issues is of grave concern.
- These issues have been brought to the attention of GEAC but no concrete action has been taken on any of them. So far, despite pointing out numerous violations, the EPA liability clause has NOT been invoked for deterrent action in a single instance. This is ominous and does not bode well for the safety of our environment and health.
It is very clear that the regulators cannot be trusted to regulate GMOs in the country, even though they have an express mandate of upholding biosafety. Their biases, lack of scientific rigour, conflicting interests, incapabilities and apathy are apparent from numerous instances. It is patently obvious that environmental releases of GMOs in India are not under control and yet, the GEAC continues to clear dozens of applications for GM field trials in its meetings. For instance, in the upcoming July 6th GEAC meeting 25 applications are being considered.
It is in this context that we strongly urge you to intervene immediately and:
- Invoke the EPA 1986’s penal clauses against Monsanto for its biosafety and other violations in Karnataka and get Monsanto blacklisted;
- Order the stoppage of all open air releases of GMOs in the R&D pipeline including for field trials and seed production immediately;
- Fix liability on the regulators also for their lapses & rid the regulatory body of conflict of interest
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Sd/-
- Abdul Rahman C P, Farmer, Jaiva Karshaka Samithi, Calicut
- Abdul Rasheed C R P, Farmer, Trivandrum
- Abhilash, Software Engineer, Trivandrum
- Adivasi Aikya Vedika, Andhra Pradesh
- Adv Pouran, Chairman, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL-Kerala)
- Adv Pradeepkumar, Haritha Sena Farmers Organisation, Kerala.
- Aishwarya Madineni, Greenpeace, Bangalore
- Ajayan R, Plachimada Support Group, Trivandrum
- Ajit Kelkar, Abhinav AHRDO, Madhya Pradesh
- Ajith, Secretary, Wyanad Organic Consortium
- Alauddin Ahmed, State Coordinator, Save our Rice Campaign, West Bengal
- Amber Dsouza, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Ambrose, The Lumiere, Organic Hotel, Kochi.
- Amina Fareedi, New Delhi
- Anand Bala, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Ananthoo, Coordinator, Safe Food Alliance, Tamil Nadu
- Anil Akkara, Standing Committee Chairman, Trichur Jilla Panchayath (Young Leader Award 2011 – CNN-IBN).
- Anil Ranglani, Mumbai
- Animish Mandrekar, concerned citizen, Mumbai
- Annapoorni S, concerned citizen, Chennai
- Anoop Chandran, Cine Actor, Alappuzha
- Anoop Chandran, Cine Actor, Alappuzha
- Anshuman Das, DRCSC, Kolkata
- Anthra, Hyderabad
- Arun Dike, Indore Biotech Agricultural Services, Indore
- Arun Tyagi, Dalit Aadivasi Mahapanchayat, Madhya Pradesh
-
Aruna Rodrigues, Lead Petitioner, SC GMO PIL
- Arundhati Sanath, Management Next, Bangalore
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Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh, Pune
- Ashita Rao, Cisco, Bangalore
- Ashok kumar, Teacher and Farmer, Secretary, Nalla Bakshana Prasthanam, Malappuram
- Ashwin Daga, Concerned student, Mumbai
- Ashwini Yelne, Bhopal
- Babu Mylampadi, Manager , South Malabar Gramin Bank, Wyanad
- Badushah N, Chairman, Wyanad Environmental Protection Committee, Wyanad
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Balasubramanian, Adisil Cholai, Thirumangalam, Madurai
- Bhakti Nefertiti, Vriksh, Himachal Pradesh
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Bharat Mansata, Vision Acres, Van Vadi, Maharashtra
- Bhau Katdare, Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra, Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra
- Biju, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Kochi, Kerala
- Bina Patel, Mumbai
- Binayak Swain, BAT NET, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
- Biraj Patnaik, Advisor, Commissioners’ office in the Supreme Court RTF case
- Bittu Sahgal, Editor, Sanctuary Asia, Mumbai
- Brig. Oommen John (Retd.), Consultant
- C Jayakumar, Thanal, Kerala
- C R Neelakantan, Writer and Environmentalist
- Catherine Lee, Social Activist, Statue, Trivandrum
- Chadrasekharan Nair, Kerala Farmers Internet Forum, Trivandrum
- Chandan Mukherjee, Consultant, Kolkata
- D. Narasimha Reddy, Chetana Society, Hyderabad
- D. V Sridharan, PointReturn.org, Chennai
- Datta Patil, YUVA Rural, Nagpur
-
Debjeet Sarangi, Living Farms, Bhubaneswar
- Deepa V S, Lecturer, College of Engineering, Karunagappalli.
- Deepak Arya, Indian Society for Environmental Studies, Bangalore
- Deepak Raju, Amarchand Mangaldas, Mumbai
- Deepak Shah, Urban Leaves, Mumbai
- Deepak Suchde, Malpani Trust, Madhya Pradesh
- Dhanaraj Keezhara, Painter and Artist, Bangalore
- Dharmen Dhulla, Pune
- Dharmendar, Chetna Organic, Hyderabad
- Dr Asha Gopinathan, Scientist, SCTIMST, Trivandrum
- Dr Biji Abraham, Lecturer in Economics, Christian College, Chengannur.
- Dr Bijukumar, Reader, Kerala University, Trivandrum
- Dr Goldin Quadros, Interim State Director, WWF India Maharashtra
- Dr Maqbool, Professor in Zoology, MES College, Ponnani.
- Dr Santhi, Scientist and Ecologist, Trivandrum
- Dr Sarada Money, Social Scientist, Trivandrum
- Dr Sreekumar, Kottayam Nature Society, Kottayam
- Dr Thomas Varghese, Soil Scientist, Ex-Chairman, Kerala State Agricultural Prices Board
- Dr Usha Balaram, Professor (Retd.) in Zoology, Trivandrum
- Dr V S Vijayan, Chairman, Salim Ali Foundation and Ex-Chairman, Kerala State Biodiversity Board
- Dr Vinod, Ayurveda Doctor and Scientist, TBGRI, Trivandrum.
- Dr. (Prof) Anil Sadgopal, Member, Presidium, All India Forum for Right to Education & Former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Delhi
- Dr. (Prof) C Shambu Prasad, Professor of Rural Management, XIM-Bhubaneswar
- Dr. (Prof) Rajesh Dubey, Director, Centre for Technology Development & Research (CTDR), Jaipur; State Coordinator RKVY Uttarakhand Government; Advisor, Council of Science & Technology, Chhattisgarh; General Secretary, Prakriti Bharti Sansthan
- Dr. A K Malhotra, Trustee, SAI Sanctuary Trust, Karnataka
- Dr. Ashok Kundapur, Member, Save Western Ghat Group, INTACH, Udupi
- Dr. Bhalchandra Bhawe, Mumbai
-
Dr. Bhartendu Prakash, Kisan Vigyan Kendra, Banda, UP
- Dr. C. Ramachandraiah, Social Scientist, Hyderabad.
- Dr. Debal Deb, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Kolkata
- Dr. Deepa P.Gopinath, Lecturer in Electronics and Communication, College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, Mobile- +919446583466
- Dr. Dwijendra Nath Guru, Gaaia Technologies, Bangalore
- Dr. G.S. Kaushal, Former Director, Dept of Agriculture, Agri Scientist, Bhopal
- Dr. Krishan Bir Chaudhary, President, Bharatiya Krishak Samaj, New Delhi
- Dr. Latha Anantha, River Research Centre, Kerala
- Dr. Mira Shiva, Initiative for Health & Equity in Society and Doctors for Food & Biosafety
- Dr. Mita Dutta, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Kolkata
- Dr. N N Panickar, Retd Scientist, Naturalist, Trivandrum
- Dr. R S Lalmohan, INTACH, Nagercoil
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Dr. Ramanjaneyulu, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad
- Dr. Sasikumar Menon, Asst Director, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Laboratory, Mumbai
- Dr. Sekhar Raghavan, Director, Rain Centre, Chennai
- Dr. Shree Ram Padmadeo, Tara Foundation, Patna
- Dr. Suresh Motwani, Agriculture expert, Bhopal
- Dr. V N Sharaf, Retd. Dean, Agriculture College, Indore
- Dr. V Rukmini Rao, Gramya Resource Centre for Women, Hyderabad
- Dr. Vandana Shiva, Navdanya, Dehra dun
- E S Jayachandran, Asst Professor, Model Engineering College, Kochi
- Eldo Pachilakkadan, Architect, BIRDS, Trivandrum.
- G. L. Janardhana
- Gazala Fareedi, New Delhi
- Geo Jose, National Alliance for People’s Movement, Kochi.
- Gopalan- Shobha, Navadarshanam Trust Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu
- Gorrepati Madhava Rao, Advocate, Human Rights Forum, Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh
- Gurbhej Singh Sandhu, Kheti Virasat Mission, Amritsar
- Guruvayurappan, Wildlife Preservation Society of India, Palakkad.
- Hariharan, Farmer, Secretary, Kissan Jyothi Farmers Club.
- Harikumar, Sound Engineer, National Award Winner-2010
- Harish, Legal Cell, One Earth One Life, Kerala
- Hemanshi Ashar, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Hiten Malaviya, Mumbai
- Illias, Secretary, One Earth One Life, Kerala
- Ishwar Chandra Tripathi, BKU, Madhya Pradesh
- J. Prasant Palakkappillil CMI Ph. D, Principal, Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Kochi
- Jacob Lazer, PUCL, Kochi.
- Jacob Nellithanam, Richharia Campaign, Chattisgarh
- Jasveen Jairath, CAPNET, Hyderabad
- Jay Mishra, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Jaya Iyer, concerned citizen, Delhi
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Jayant Verma, Hamaraj Beej Abhiyan, Madhya Pradesh
- Jayaprakash, Prakrithi Padana Kendram, Nilambur
- Jayesh Gawde, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Jishnu, Kumarakom Nature Club, Kottayam
- John Joseph, Oracle, Bangalore
- Jose, Kerala Social Service Forum, Wyanad.
- K Sajaya, Coordinator, Caring Citizens’ Collective, Hyderabad
- K V Dayal, Chairman, Jaiva Karshaka Samithi, Kerala
- K. Loganathan, General Secretary, Tamizhaga Agricultural Labourers Union (TALU)
- Kabir Arora, Indian Youth Climate Network, Mumbai
- Kalaivani, Erode District Organic Farmers Federation
- Karan Sadarangani, concerned citizen, Mumbai.
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Kavitha Kuruganti, Convenor, Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), Bangalore
- Kiran Vazha, Student, Trivandrum
- Kiran Vissa, Association for India’s Development, Hyderabad
- Kisan Mehta, Prakruti, Mumbai
- Kodihalli Chandrasekhar, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha
- Kodur Sathyamurthy, Chief, Tejas Business Solutions
- Krishna Prasad, Sahaja Samruddha, Bangalore
- Kunal Bopanna, Economic Times, Mumbai
- Lajpat Dhingra, Thane, Maharashtra
- Laxman Singh Muniya, Lok Jagriti Manch, Madhya Pradesh
- M A Rahman, Professor in English and Film Maker, Kasaragod
- M. David Amalanadane, Pharmacist, Karaikal, TN
- Madhumita Dutta, Corporate Accountability Desk-The Other Media, Chennai
- Mahila Brathukudervuvu Sangham, Medak district
- Mahrukh, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Maj Gen (Retd) S.G.Vombatkere, NAPM, Mysore
- Manas Ranjan, Khadya Adhikaar Abhiyaan, Odisha
- Manisha Barot, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Mashqura Fareedi, New Delhi
- Meghna Patel, Concerned Mother, Mumbai
-
Mekala Gorrela pempakadharla Sangham, Medak district
- Mercy Alexander, Director, SAKHI Womens Resource Centre, Trivandrum.
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Milind Wani, Kalpavriksh, Pune
- Mukund Patel, Organic farmer, Pune
- Nagarajan-Padmini, Navadarshanam Trust Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu
- Nalla Gounder alias Thooran Nambi, National Secretary, Tamil Nadu Farmers Association
- Narayanan, Farmer, Secretary, Jaiva Karshaka Samithi-Palakkad
- Neesha Noronha, Mumbai Organic Farmers & Consumers Association, Mumbai
- Nemani Chandrasekhar, WASSAN, Secunderabad
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Nilesh Desai, Beej Swaraj Abhiyan, Madhya Pradesh
- Nityanand Jayaraman, Researcher, Activist, Chennai
- Nivedita Menon, Cstep, Bangalore
- O V Usha, Poet and Writer, Trivandrum
- P Raghu, ActionAid, Hyderabad
- Padma Shri Dr. Kutty Menon, Bhopal
- Padma Shri Sugathakumari, Poet and Environmentalist, Kerala
- Pallavi Hittanagi, Student, M.Sc (Environmental Science), Mysore
- Pandiode Prabhakaran, Desiya Karshaka Samrakshana Samithi, Palakkad
- Pandurang Hegde, Chipko/Appiko Movement, Karnataka
- Pankaj Bhushan, GM Free Bihar Movement, Patna
- Prashant Iyengar, Researcher, Center for Internet and Society, Bangalore
- Prashant Nair, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Prathvi Bhatti, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Preeti Patil, Mumbai
- Prof. Durai Singam, Ex-Chairman, Consumer Coordination Council of India, Pudukkottai, Tamilnadu
- Prof. G Arunima, Associate Professor, JNU, New Delhi.
- Prof. Kaladharan, Chairman, Federation of the Consumer Organisations of Tamilnadu and Pondicherry (FEDCOT), Nagapattinam
- Purushan Eloor, Chairman, Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi, Kochi.
- R Jayaraman, Thiruvaroor, State Coordinator, Save our Rice Campaign, Tamilnadu
- R Ponnambalam, Managing Trustee, CREATE Trust, Nagercoil
- R Selvam, Tamil Nadu Organic Farmers Federation
- Rachna Arora Verma, Public Awareness on GM Foods
- Radha Holla, concerned citizen, Delhi
- Radhika Rammohan, Director, Restore Health Livelihoods and Nature,
Chennai - Raghunandan Hegde, Equations, Bangalore
- Rajan Robert, Environmentalist, Trivandrum
-
Rajesh Krishnan, Sustainable Agriculture campaign, Greenpeace Índia, Bangalore
- Rakesh Reddy Dubbudu, UFRTI, NAPM, Hyderabad
- Rakesh Tikait, Bhartiya Kissan Union
- Rama Bishnoi, Mumbai
- Rama.Nambi Narayanan, State Organizing Secretary, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, Tamil Nadu
- Ramasubramanian, Safe Food Alliance, Chennai
- Ramesh Choudhary, Madhyanchal Forum, Madhya Pradesh
- Ravi Goel, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Ravi Gowande, Thane
- Ravi Kelkar, Abhinav AHRDO, Madhya Pradesh
- Ravindra A, Researcher, Hyderabad
- Rina Kamath, Organic Farmer, Terra Farma and Lawyer, Cause Humane Integrated Professional Services
- Rini Matthew, Emc2, Bangalore
- Robin, Editor, Keraleeyam Fortnightly, Thrissur
- Rony Joseph, INFACT, Pala, Kerala.
- Roshni Nuggehalli, CWC, Bangalore
- Ruth Sequeira, LEAF Initiative, Mumbai
- S Usha, National Coordinator, Save our Rice Campaign
- Sachin Jain, Bhojan ka Adhikaar Abhiyan, Madhya Pradesh
- Samir Mehta, Dharohar Dharti Trust, Mumbai
- Sankara Narayanan, Engineer & Constructor, Bhubaneswar
- Saraswati Kavula, Convenor, NAPM-AP
- Sarayu Kamat
- Saroj Mohanty, Paschim Odhisa Krushak Sanghatan, Odisha
- Satinath Sarangi, Bhopal Group for Information & Action, Bhopal
- Shaila Wagh, Matheran, Maharasthra
- Shalini Bhutani, Lawyer, New Delhi
- Shibu K Nair, Programme Director, Zero Waste Centre, Kovalam, Trivandrum
- Shweta Wagh, Assistant Professor, Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture & Environmental Studies, Mumbai
- Siddharth Jaiswal, Go Green Herbs Pvt Ltd, OFAI Bihar Chapter
- Smita Mitra, Outlook magazine, Mumbai
- Sreedevi Lekshmikutty, Consultant, Save our Campaign.
- Sri Binoy Viswom, Ex-Minister for Forests and Housing, Kerala
- Sri Mullakara Rathnakaran, Ex-Minister for Agriculture, Kerala
- Sridhar Radhakrishnan, Convenor, Coalition for a GM-Free India
- Sruthi Shastri, The New Indian Express, Hyderabad
- Sudhir Kedia, Ecomantra, Mumbai
- Suma Josson, Film Maker, Mumbai
- Sumathy Sethuraman, Volunteer, ReStore, Chennai
- Sundarrajan, Advocate, Poovulagin Nanbargal, Tamilnadu
- T P Padhmanabhan, Director, Society for Environmental Education in Kerala (SEEK)
- T.S. Ananthu, Navadarshanam Trust Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu
- Tauseef Hussain, New Delhi
- Ted D’Costa, Mumbai
- Tejal V., Nurturing Grounds, Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Thejesha, Sahaja Samrudha, Bangalore
- Tree Natesan, Director, Exnora Environmental Research Institute, Chennai
- Uday Acharya, Trustee, Vidya Vaaridhi Trust ((Urban Leaves), Mumbai
- Uday Kanitkar, Member, HOPE (Here On Project Environment), Thane
- Uma Shankari, Rashtriya Raitu Seva Samiti, Chittoor district
-
Umendra Dutt, Kheti Virasat Mission, Punjab
- Urmila Patel, Mumbai
- Urmila Rajadhyaksha, Landscape Architect, Mumbai; Fellow, Indian Society of Landscape Architects (ISOLA), Associate, Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), Member, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)
- Usha Jayakumar, Thanal, Trivandrum
- Vasant Futane, Organic Farmer, SAMVAD, Amravati, Maharashtra
- Vinay Sreenivas, Cstep, Bangalore
- Vinita Mansata, Earthcare Books, Kolkata
- Vipul Patel, Color Art, Mumbai
- Vipul Sanghavi, Mumbai
- Viren Dhulla, Mumbai
- Vishweshwar Madhav, Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Walter Mendoza, Centre for Education & Documentation, Pune
- Wilfred D’cousta, INSAF (Indian Social Action Forum), New Delhi
- Yakshi, Hyderabad
Forwarding Address
Sridhar R (09995358205)
Convener, Coalition for a GM Free India
c/o Thanal
H-3, Jawaharnagar, Kawdiar P.O. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
India PIN 695 003
Tel / Fax: +91 471 2727150
Email:mail.thanal@gmail.com
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