The Dhamra Port project, developed by Tata and L&T, will be completed on schedule in 2010. According to Orissa commerce and transport minister Jayanarayan Mishra, at least 2770.76 acres of land has been acquired so far as against the total requirement of 3020.31 acres for construction of the port project and railway lines. The minister’s assertion about the completion of the project on schedule assumes significance as the global environment protection group Greenpeace had raised serious objections to the project on the ground that it would pose a threat to the local marine flora and fauna.
On May 30, Greenpeace had released a critique that claimed to expose "serious" and "fundamental" flaws in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). "The port will be located in an ecologically sensitive area, 5 km from the Bhitarkanika sanctuary and less than 15 km from Gahirmatha beaches, the world’s largest mass nesting site for the Olive Ridley turtles. Given the sensitive nature of the location, it is essential that the EIA be scientifically credible and unbiased," the report said.
Source: The Asian Age
10th December, 2007