The National Green Tribunal has admitted a case against Essar Group’s upcoming port project in Salaya, Jamnagar district, Gujarat, on the grounds that it is affecting the ecology of Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park as well as mangroves and coral reefs in the vicinity, besides endangering the livelihoods of over one lakh fishermen. The Gulf of Kutch is the country’s first Marine National Park, notified in 1982, and known to support coral reefs and several endangered marine species, such as the dugong. The case, filed by the Salaya Fishermen’s Association and 10 individual fishermen working near the proposed port at Salaya village was admitted by the NGT’s Western Zone bench in Pune on 21 September. The bench has issued notices to the Essar Group firm Essar Bulk Terminal (Salaya) Ltd, the Gujarat government, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Gujarat Maritime Board and the Gujarat Ecology Commission, to file replies by 20 October. CLEARANCE AN ‘EYEWASH’ Essar – which also runs a thermal power plant in Salaya – is building multiple facilities at the port, including two jetties and pipelines. The fishermen claim that the port was granted environment and coastal zone clearance in 2009 based on wrong information about its proximity to the marine national park. While Essar’s application claimed that the port was at a distance from the marine national park, the fishermen contend that according to the correct maps, the port in fact falls within the park. They also allege that the Gujarat government’s environment department, which in February 2009 had agreed that the port project would affect the marine park, changed its mind in March. The clearance was given in August.
2016 CATCHNEWS.com