Greenpeace demands budget allocation for turtle conservation

Bhubaneswar, Mar 7(UNI) In a bid to resolve the decade-old 'turtle- human conflict' along the Orissa coast, the Greenpeace, an organisation, today urged the Orissa government to make necessary budget allocation for turtle protection and compensation to the fishermen.

Greenpeace Oceans campaigners Ashis Fernandes and Sanjiv Gopal told newsmen here that the conflict between 'turtle-fishermen' had assumed a critical situation in absence of any concrete action from the Orissa government.

They urged the state legislative assembly to make an allocation of Rs 11.20 crores to fulfil the twin requirements of fishermen's compensation and improved turtle protection as mandated by the Supreme Court in 2004.

Greenpeace repersentatives said the turtle death toll during January and February this year, along the Paradip-Ramchandi coast, had crossed 1,700.

Illegal fishing in the Devi areas had also increased the mortality rate of the sea turtles in the absence of any precautionary measures either from the Fisheries or Forest Departments.

Mr Fernandes said Greenpeace had appealed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take urgent remedial steps to prevent largescale casualty of the sea turtles.

''It is now three years since the Supreme Court orders were passed, yet there has been little progress on the key issues of patrolling, enforcing no-trawling zones, compensation for traditional fishermen and alternative livelihoods,'' he added.

He said the campaigners from Greenpeace would approach the members of the Orissa Legislative Assembly to garner support for their proposal for budget allocation adding that it was high time that the political establishment in Orissa across the spectrum, took up the challenge and put pressure on the government to address the turtle-fishermen conflict.

UNI