“Dhamra Port is going to be the deepest port in India. The location of Dhamra in close proximity to the mineral belt of Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal and its deep draft suitable for large vessels is going to make Dhamra port the most cost-effective and efficient port on the Eastern coast of India. Blah blah blah …. And not to forget but the Dhamra Port Project has been undertaken by Tata, a company known for its social image. After all, it’s the Tatas who come up with cost-effective ideas. Blah blah blah….”
Yes very cost effective. But has anyone calculated the kind of cost we will actually have to pay? Have you, Mr. Tata? You wouldn’t call it cost effective then!
So you are probably wondering how many crores of rupees are being wasted, right? Well, it’s not money that I am talking about. The cost I am talking about is a much more valuable cost, the cost of life.
The construction of the Dhamra Port gravely endangers the wildlife of the Bhitarkanika Sanctuary, the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and the Olive Ridley Turtles. Each year more than 200,000 of these turtles come at the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary for nesting. These beautiful creatures might live long but have a survival rate of 1 in 5000. The construction of this marine base is now lowering this rate even further. The Dhamra Port Project has been underway for years now, and what is really surprising is that even though reports have been submitted by organisations such as Wildlife Institute of India and a Greenpeace-commissioned study by Dr. S. K. Dutta of the North Orissa University they have been largely ignored.
The study by Dr. Dutta also revealed the carcasses of around 2,000 turtles. In March 2007, the Department of Forest – Wildlife, Government of Orissa, proposed the notification of an eco-sensitive and eco-fragile area around Bhitharkanika, which includes the Dhamra port area. Predictably, the top brass of the State Government once again ignored this proposal.
Intriguing isn’t it? That rather than taking up the issue early and promptly, and resolving it, the government has ignored it (something it does very often), in spite of reports from various environmental institutions asking them to take action. So now the jobs rests upon the shoulders of activists and NGOs while those nincompoops we elect, sit back and relax!
It’s disgusting how no action has been taken till date and how all the above mentioned reports have been conveniently ignored for years. Its well known how bad the legal machinery works, but the Tata’s, who are supposedly reputed for their so-called sensitivity to the world, and glorified for their social work (which mostly comprises of making a car for the poor man, which by the way costs more than the promised Rs 1 lakh and is flooding our already jam-packed streets with more cars) have failed to do anything at all. On March 23rd, 2009, with the launch of the Tata “Nano”, Greenpeace, in an open letter to Ratan Tata, in the Financial Times and the International Herald Tribune, reminded the Tatas of their environmental responsibilities, by raising the issue of “Placing the planet on par with profits, because there are some things that money just can’t buy back”. Of course, Ratan Tata was just too busy promoting that “bug” car of his, so he conveniently ignored it. And the dredging continued, and it still continues today.
Kind of disappointing, that the people in power, the ones who have the power and finances to change so much, care more for their bank accounts than innocent lives? I think it casts a bad light over all humanity. Oh wait, no it can’t be, because humanism is already dead?
Who wants development that threatens to destroy the earth and harm innocent creatures? I certainly don’t! And, for me, what’s even more surprising is the kind of attitude the general public has – so what if a few animals die? It’s for development right? WRONG!
So here is what you might want to think about :
First of all, every life has value.
Secondly, these are endangered species, under India’s Wildlife Protection Act of India, and all species of marine turtles, including Olive Ridleys, are accorded with a Schedule I status of protection, on par with the tiger(since we haven’t got any progress/good news there, GOD HELP THE TURTLES!).
And lastly, how would you feel if someone destroyed your home, hurt you, killed your family? There would be some 6 billion of your species still left, right? What difference does it make?!
Each life is valuable, and we must treasure it as much as possible.
WAKE UP, PEOPLE! DO SOMETHING!! NOW!!! SAVE A LIFE!!! SAVE ALL OUR LIVES… This is more important than your TV show or even your homework!
Zainab R. Haque
