This refers to the article, “NGOs reeling under unfair deal” (September 22) by Geetanjali Chopra. The investigations into the disasters in Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir have shown that the tragedies were man-made due to the exploitation of nature. As a common man looking at the huge and tragic loss of invaluable life, property and breaking up of social fabric in these areas, my question is: Where were the NGOs all this while when exploitation of nature was onIJ Is it that these NGOs are active only in places where there is media exposure, so as to grab air-timeIJ
Is the opposition to a nuclear power plant, especially the one being constructed in 20-odd years under the scrutiny of the best brains in the business, more meaningful as compared to a sustained opposition to various projects that are small in nature but cause enormous damage to the ecosystemIJ NGOs should de-link project selection from media exposure and fund-raising, and protest on relevant issues.