World | India
Greenpeace wants Tata port project shifted
Greenpeace volunteers lit thousands of candles in front of a building on the Colaba seafront on Tuesday evening to prevail on its most famous resident, Ratan Tata, to shift his company's upcoming port project from Dhamra in Orissa to help save endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles.
- By Pamela Raghunmath, Correspondent
- Published: 00:08 May 22, 2008
Mumbai: Greenpeace volunteers lit thousands of candles in front of a building on the Colaba seafront on Tuesday evening to prevail on its most famous resident, Ratan Tata, to shift his company's upcoming port project from Dhamra in Orissa to help save endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles.
The candles were lit by over 30 volunteers as a symbolic gesture on behalf of those who have written to Tata asking him to relocate the port, said Saumya Tripathy of Greenpeace Communications.
The Dhamra port is being built close to the Gahirmatha beach, one of the world's largest nesting grounds for the species. So far, there has been no response from Tata to this outpouring of public sentiment against the port.
"Mr Tata has the reputation of a reasonable man who cares for the environment," said Titus Jebraj, a Greenpeace volunteer, who was among those who lit the candles on the rocky seashore. "People have been asking him for several years now to look for an alternative to this destructive port in the interests of protecting one of the world's last mass nesting grounds for this enigmatic and peaceful creature, which has been around for millions more years than Tatas have!"
International banking giant BNP Paribas recently confirmed it is no longer refinancing a part of the Dhamra Port.
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