Environmental Advocacy In Danger: 3 Websites Fiercely Opposing EIA 2020 Closed Down

(L) Fridays For Future India ; Ritu Bhardwaj, Survival Media (R)

In an unprecedented event, three of the websites that were powering a strong opposition against the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020 have been shut down and made inaccessible, thus seriously infringing the rights of those running the sites.

Fridays For Future- India Chapter of the movement started by Greta Thunberg (www.fridaysforfuture.in), There Is No Earth B (www.thereisnoeartb.com) and Let India Breathe (www.letindiabreathe.in) were unexpectedly disabled by the National Internet Exchange of India (NiXi) which is controlled by the current government as it is chaired by its Secretary of Information Technology.

According to Hindustan Times, two of the sites, Fridays For Future and Let India Breathe sought legal guidance and help from the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF). None of the websites has received a reason stating the shutdown.

All three establishments are spearheading the environmental movement in India by demanding a withdrawal of the EIA 2020, which amends its original ruling in 2006. The latest version allows post-facto project clearance, which means that industrial projects may establish themselves or pursue their completion even without environmental clearances. It also negates the voice of the public as it proposes that environment violations, if any, must be disclosed by the responsible authorities themselves.

In a Vice report, Apar Gupta, the executive director of the IFF said that the website owners were not alerted about this and that no due process was followed by the NiXi. This prevents the owners from calling a legal hearing.

The three sites received support on Twitter with the hashtag #WhatTheBlock coined by the IFF.