Round table meeting resolves to fight against establishment of the VLF radar station in Damagundam forest

Make public the Environmental Impact Assessment report of the project: V. Sandhya, Progressive Organisation of Women, demands the government

A round table meeting organised by the Women and Transgender organisations Joint Action Committee on Wednesday (October 9, 2024), demanded cancellation of permissions for the Very Low Frequency (VLF) radar station being set up by the Indian Navy in the Damagundam reserve forest of Vikarabad district.

The meeting also called for strong public protests against the station at the location, which, they claimed, would endanger lives.

Satyananda Swami, an ascetic who has been at the centre of the protests against the radar station, attended the meeting and spoke about how the Eastern Naval facility would hinder water flows to the Esi, Musi and Kagna rivers.

Water from the Anantagiri hillocks flows through Pudur and Sivareddipet to join Gandipet reservoir on the Eastern side, while the Kagna River joins from the Western side, and both flows will be hindered by the naval station, he said.

He expressed fears that the radiation emanating from the towers would endanger human lives, and destruction of the virgin forest would harm the environment.

“Water from the hillocks is infused with herbal goodness. Despite decades of exploitation, the Ph value of the water here is more than eight. Every Sunday, thousands come to our ashram for herbal concoctions,” he said, while also expressing regret that the lands of the Ramalingeswara Swamy temple inside the forest have been encroached.

Retired IICT scientist K. Baburao said the radar system is being established for one-way communication with submarines, which would be useful only during wartime. In view of a recent study about the devastating effect of a limited nuclear war in the region, one’s efforts should be to prevent war, and not to prepare for it, he opined.

He also recalled that an Extremely Low Frequency radar station was shut down in Michigan state of the United States of America, after it was proven to be unsafe for humans. Though initially an ELF station was proposed to be set up in Damagundam, later it was being publicised as VLF. He wondered why the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) details pertaining to the station are being kept hidden from the public on the pretext of classified information.

Make EIA report public

V. Sandhya from the Progressive Organisation of Women also questioned the secrecy around the project, and demanded that the government make public the EIA report of the project. Without sharing any information, the government is hurriedly going ahead with the launch of the VLF transmitter tower, she alleged.

Transgender activist Meera Sanghamitra sought to remind that a case is pending against the station in the High Court, and while attempts are being made to mislead the public saying that the project has legal sanction, the High Court said the work on the project would be contingent upon the final outcome of the case.

Published - October 10, 2024 12:00 pm IST