Noted environmentalist M.K. Prasad, a prominent figure in the historic grassroots-level movement to save the evergreen tropical rain forests in Kerala’s Silent Valley from destruction, passed away on Monday morning, his colleagues said here.
Prasad, 89, breathed his last at a private hospital here while undergoing treatment for Covid-related complications, they said.
His last rites were held at a crematorium in Ravipuram here.
Prasad is survived by his wife and two children.
A source of energy for environmental activists, Prasad gave effective leadership to a progressive people’s science movement called “Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishath” (KSSP).
As the lead activist of KSSP, Prasad was a guiding force behind the national movement against the state government’s move to set up a hydropower project in Silent Valley in Palakkad district in the 1970s.
Under his leadership, the KSSP effectively worked on the ground and mobilised public opinion on the requirement to save Silent Valley.
Bowing to unrelenting pressure from ecologists, the government was forced to abandon the project.
The struggle was called off in 1983 after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi assured that the Silent Valley forests would be protected.
The Silent Valley forests were declared a national park by the Union government on November 15, 1984.
Prasad, who held various academic positions in Kerala, including the post of vice-chancellor of Calicut University and principal of Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, has authored numerous books in Malayalam on environmental issues and popular science. PTI
He also chaired the All India People’s Science Network (AIPSN), an all-India consortium of people's science movements.
Prasad also served on the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Board for five years.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the demise of Prasad recalling his contributions as a leader of ecological movements.
Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan also condoled the demise of Prasad.
