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Greenpeace rejects IB report, swears by energy sustainability

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IANS New Delhi
Last Updated : Jun 11 2014 | 5:45 PM IST

Greenpeace Wednesday dismissed accusations levelled by the Intelligence Bureau that it is "negatively impacting economic development" in India.

Greenpeace environmental group said its primary focus was to persuade the government to seriously look at "sustainability of energy-delivery system" in the country.

"We are not aware of any IB report criticising our work. Our motto is to intimate the government that there exists a serious need to address sustainability of energy delivery system in the country. India is building coal-based electricity but 30 crore people have no electricity," said Greenpeace spokesperson Abhishek Pratap.

An IB report dated June 3 on "foreign-funded NGOs negatively impacting economic development in India" apprised the government that Greenpeace has helped conduct anti-nuclear agitations and mounted "massive efforts to take down India's coal-fired power plants and coal mining activity".

Pratap, however, argued the government has shut its eyes to ecological sustainability in the name of coal mining.

"Mindless mining by dislodging people in their own homeland does pose a serious threat to ecological sustainability, besides impacting climate," Pratap maintained.

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He rubbished reports that Greenpeace has violated the provisions of the Foreign Contribution Act of 2010, and financed sympathetic studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and IIT-Delhi.

"How can the IB come to that conclusion? We have never been served any notice for violating the provisions of the Foreign Contribution Act," Pratap said.

He added the studies at TISS and IIT-Bombay - he clarified it was not IIT-Delhi - were to outsource the report on health impact and water being diverted in the Vidarbha region respectively.

"Yes, money was given by Greenpeace. We wanted to outsource report from IIT-Bombay on water being diverted in the Vidarbha region despite farmers struggling for water for their crops," Pratap said.

He said that contrary to reports, Greenpeace did not support any Aam Aadmi Party candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"We had asked Pankaj Singh (AAP candidate from Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh) to resign as Greenpeace consultant when he decided to contest election, which was purely a personal decision for him," Pratap clarified.

Pratap vociferously rejected any notion that Greenpeace is renewing its campaign internationally to highlight that Indian IT/ITeS firms do not meet global standards on e-waste emissions.

"The truth is we had recommended EVS legislation in the country. The government acted on the recommendation and we had the EVS Management and Handling Rule of 2012. We have all the right to ask whether companies are acting on the rule. We have asked this to four Indian and 18 global companies," Pratap said.

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First Published: Jun 11 2014 | 5:36 PM IST

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