Tiruvannamalai Strike July 20, 2016 regarding Arunachala Girivalam Forest Deforestation

The below article appears in today’s "The Hindu", regarding a strike in Tiruvannamalai scheduled to take place on July 20, 2016 in response to the serious deforestation of Arunachala Girivalam forests. 

“People from various walks of life have come together to highlight the need to protect the flora and fauna along the girivalam path. They have formed the Tiruvannamalai Girivalam Path Environmental Protection Committee, and have demanded that the State government give up the project to widen the girivalam path. 

The committee, during its meeting held on Sunday, decided to call for a token strike on July 20 urging the government to withdraw the project. Accordingly, shops in Tiruvannamalai town will be closed from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. At the same time, the committee would form a human chain from Dr. Ambedkar statue to Kamarajar statue, a press release said. The committee members have urged all traders’ associations, political parties, NGOs, cultural and literary organisations, industries, educational institutions, advocates associations, street vendors, environmentalists, devotees, movie theatre owners and public to take part in the protest. 

They argued that the project will destroy major portion of the forest. 

This included several centuries-old rare varieties of trees, herbal plants, birds and animals. 

Members of various traders’ associations, lawyers’ associations, farmers, NGOs, political parties, writers and artists have come together to form the protection committee to represent the views of a large section of people to the government. About 200 persons took part in the meeting, according to S. Karuna, propaganda organiser of the committee.”