The website, on 4 June 2020, launched an online campaign to protest against the Ministry of Environment’s Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2020 issued on 23 March.
According to the report by Firstpost, after instructions from the Delhi Police’s Cyber Crime Unit on 10 July, website campaigning against the Indian government’s new draft law for environment clearance was blocked suddenly. According to the cyber crime unit, the actions by the website are a “cognizable and punishable criminal offence under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).”
Amid the discussion around climate change, FridaysforFuture.in, or FFF India, was started in May 2019. The website, on 4 June 2020, launched an online campaign to protest against the Ministry of Environment’s Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2020 issued on 23 March. Many environmental activists had accused that the draft dilutes the green law and favours rich builders. After Delhi High court’s order, the initial deadline for the consultation process of this draft was changed from 11 June 2020 to 11 August 2020.
FFF India, the informal collective of volunteers and climate activists, launched an online campaign to draw attention to the EIA 2020 to mark their protest. Their campaign has enabled citizens to express their objection to the new draft. FFF India uploaded a draft email and email addresses for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Environment Minister, Prakash Javdekar, and the email address for the EIA consultation process, the information which was already in public domain.
The draft email says, “Dear Shri. Prakash Javadekar, In March 2020, during the COVID pandemic and under your leadership, the MOEFCC had released the Draft EIA 2020 Notification, and I am writing to you today to unequivocally request that this draft be withdrawn on account of how destructive it can prove to be for the ecology and the people of our great nation.”
“The Draft EIA 2020 caters purely to the ‘ease of doing business’ in India and does not address these larger looming issues. This also comes at a time when the Government is opening up all its sectors to private companies – entities neither elected by or directly accountable to the people. This takes power away from the people, which goes against our democratic ideals,” it further adds.
“The proposed notification considerably relaxes various guidelines, restrictions and safeguards, which legally exist for our wilderness and local people. This is in contravention to the scope and spirit of Section 3 of the Environmental Protections Act (1986) itself. It seems to make circumstances strongly favourable to industrial and corporate interests. Pertinent examples of this are the allowance of post-facto clearances and the non-requirement of EIA for B2 projects, which include potentially harmful ones like river valley projects, tanneries, many chemical manufacturing units, petrochemical industries, expansion of national highways, etc. How can we expect the perpetrators of ecological crimes to keep themselves accountable?,” reads the draft email.
“There is, as such, nothing in the notification, which is for the protection and conservation of the environment itself and/or for public welfare. Clearing this draft would be an untold disaster for the long-term welfare of our nation and the world,” the email concludes.
According to the volunteers associated with FFF, Javadekar received thousands of emails after this campaign, which prompted Javdekar to lodge a complaint with Delhi Police’s Cyber Crime Unit. A notice was served by the unit to Big Rock, the domain name registrar, under section 79(3)(B) of the IT Act 2000 to block FFF India. Two more websites named ThereisnoEarthB.com and LetIndiaBreathe involved in a similar campaign were blocked too.
The notice regarding FFF India said, “In the above mentioned complaint of Hon’ble Cabinet Minister Shri Praksh Javadekar regarding the incident of getting multiple emails on his email address with the subject name similar to ‘EIA 2020’, after the investigation mainly below mentioned website is sending emails to him. Their unlawful activities on this website may disturb peace, sovereignty of India.”
The notice further adds, “The above website depicts objectionable contents and unlawful activities or terrorist act, which are dangerous for the peace, tranquillity and sovereignty of the India. The publication and transmission of such objectionable contents is a cognizable and punishable criminal offence under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.”
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