Green activists slam threats, cyberattacks on Badusha

Kozhikode: Environmental and social organisations in Wayanad strongly condemned the cyber attacks and the announced march to the residence of environmentalist N Badusha.Green activists, at a news conference in Wayanad on Saturday, said the threats, orchestrated by a lobby, came after Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi (WPSS) filed a petition in Supreme Court seeking to cancel the environmental clearance to Kalladi-Anakkampoyil tunnel road."Any such goonda aggression will be resisted through legal means and popular intervention. Before the haunting memories of Kerala's largest landslide and the lives lost even faded, it is certain that this unscientific tunnel road will cause massive disasters for Meppadi region, the ecological balance of Wayanad and Anakkampoyil-Thiruvambady areas of Kozhikode," the activists said.They alleged that Kerala govt obtained clearances by providing misleading information without conducting proper scientific or environmental impact studies. "It is the right and duty of every citizen to challenge such illegal acts. To attack an individual for exercising a constitutional right is a threat to democracy," they said.The group said that for activists who fought against ivory and sandalwood smuggling, forest destruction and quarrying near Edakkal Caves, these threats were not new. "The greenery and water sources of Wayanad were preserved through the blood and sweat of activists despite facing goondaism. We stand firm: Badusha is not alone. We will protect the nature of Wayanad and its farmers, tribals and landless people at any cost," said the activists.Representatives of Co-Existence Kerala, Sahyadri Summit, Paschimaghatta Samrakshana Samiti, CPI(ML) Red Star, Human Rights Protection Centre, SUCI(I), Uravu Eco Links, Green Cross and Kerala Green Movement attended the news conference.