Paradise Threatened by Massive Port Plan in India
8/31/98
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Title: Paradise Threatened by Massive Port Plan in India
Source: The Express
Status: Copyrighted, contact source to reprint
Date: 8/31/98
Byline: Matthew Benns
Indians call it the 'lungs of Bombay' - a beautiful, ecologically fragile
area about 100 miles north of the polluted city.
P&O, one of Britain's best known companies, calls it the best possible
site on which to build one of the world's largest privately owned and run
container ports.
The multi-national is already carrying out feasibility studies for the
GBP750 million port in Dahanu which would destroy vital breeding grounds
for both fish and endangered Olive Ridley turtles.
Local resident Nergis Irani is campaigning stridently against P&O.
Looking sadly across the coastline to the proposed port site at Vadhavan,
in Dahanu, she threw up her hands in despair as she said: "Fifty years
after Britain pulled out of India the Brithish are coming back and
colonising us without any risk by making money through compaines like P&O.
"I love Britain, and the angry reaction from British MPs to this port
shows that the people of such a civilised country can protest to P&O and
stop the development."
She is leading a desperate army of fishermen, endangered tribesmen, fruit
growers and environmentalists to stop the port being built. In the murky
world of Indian politics where kickbacks and bribes are the norm, many
fear she is too late.
Against her, P&O has ranged a team of India's most expensive lawyers and
has the backing of the most powerful political figure in the region - Bal
Thackeray, who calls himself the Adolf Hitler of India.
Yet Dahanu is an ecologically sensitive area - one of only three -
protected from development under India's Environmental Protection Act. All
new building along its 25-mile palm-fringed coastline is banned because of
its status as an Indian oastal Regulation Zone.
Two years ago the Indian Supreme Court upheld Dahanu's status in a bid to
preserve its tropical forests, which are home to panthers, boars, wolves,
otters and 54 types of medicinal plants.
P&O insists that despite its feasibility study it has made no firm
commitment to the port. But campaigners fear that the company and state
government plan to steamroller the project through.
Letters seen by the Express show that the state government of Maharashtra
invited tenders to build a port on six other sites. P&O placed a bid for a
site in neighbouring Alewadi, but used a loophole in the documents to
change its site to Dahanu. P&O then began to place pressure on the local
government to change the areas's eco-fragile status.
The company's chief in India, Captain Jimmy Sarbh, wrote to the State of
Maharashtra that "P&O Australia Ports remains committed to this project."
He suggested a change in Dahanu's regional development plan - and a month
later local officials filed an application to central government. "They
want to change the law and build the port here. Why can't they build it in
Alewadi, which is already developed?" said Ms. Irani.
The reason is money. P&O has found that blasting the rock shelf at
Vadhavan will be cheaper than dredging at Alewadi and that it will need
shorter breakwaters - cutting costs by one third. The battle takes another
turn Thursday when eco-lawyer Kerban Anklesaria faces P&O's finest before
a judge to discuss "environmental permissibility"
P&O spokesman Peter Smith said: "Whether we go ahead with this is a
decision that will only be taken by our board. I wouldn't say this is a
nightmare project. We are obviously well aware of the interest
environmental groups expressed and that's something we have to look at
very carefully, but nobody is losing any sleep over it."
But Ms. Irani summed up the feelings of millions of ordinary Indians when
she said: "to build a port here is morally wrong."