Projects must not be launched without assessing impact: Medha Patkar

Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar on Monday said infrastructure projects should not be launched without properly assessing their ecological impact as she extended support to the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti.

Arriving in the subsidence-hit Uttarakhand town on Monday, Patkar apologised for visiting late.

“The Joshimath crisis is a warning bell. The authorities must wake up to the damage caused by mega development projects to the fragile Himalayan ecology,” she said.

Infrastructure projects should not be launched without properly assessing their impact on the ecology, Patkar added.