ABSTRACT
Sagarmala is an ambitious port-led coastal infrastructure programme launched by the Government of India that will have extensive impacts on people and the environment. Expansion of the Karwar port is one of four projects proposed for the Karnataka coast. Communities affected by the Karwar port expansion disapprove of the project and have challenged the environmental clearance (EC) decision for the project, seeking remedies through the judicial system. This chapter examines the environmental impact assessment (EIA) conducted by the regulatory agencies and the implications of the EC and the court decisions for affected communities. Lack of attention to environmental justice during the EIA calls into question the fairness of the EC decision-making. Procedural lapses, concealment of vital information, failure to recognize comprehensive impacts and failure to suggest restorative and preventive measures raise questions about the competence of the scientific and environmental regulatory agencies involved. The chapter also reveals how seeking justice through judicial means can be a burden on rural communities that are affected by state-promoted projects like this. To avoid environmental conflicts in the future, the objectivity and effectiveness of EIA and environmental regulatory agencies in India must be advanced significantly, and if a project like Sagarmala is to meet its purpose, the vast array of environmental concerns it raises must be addressed fairly and systematically.
