Green activists in State organise kolam protests against Centre’s draft EIA

The protests were organised by the Chennai Climate Action Group, a city-based youth collective. The protest took place in Krishnagiri, Vellore, Kancheepuram, Thanjavur, Tirupur, Dharmapuri, Chengalpattu, Tirunelveli, Dindigul, Theni, Tiruchy, Salem, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Erode, Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi and Chennai. “Kolam is not just decorative art or empty tradition. We use it to build conversations with our neighbours and to express ourselves on issues that matters,” said Vishvaja Sambath, a volunteer part of the collective. Volunteers across ages took part in the kolam protests. Earlier on August 3, more than 1,951 people under the age of 30 signed a letter to the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar citing their issues with EIA 2020.