Greenpeace activist's dressed as turtles enter Taj Hotel

Mumbai, Jun 26 (UNI) Global environment watchdog, Greenpeace India's activists entered the Taj Land's End Hotel dressed as 'Olive Ridley Sea Turtles', protesting against the Tata group's proposed Dhamra port project in Orissa here today.

Four activists dressed as 'Olive Ridley Sea Turtles' sought refuge in the swimming pool of the Tata promoted hotel to protest against the large displacement of turtles as a result of the upcoming Dhamra port.

Later, the turtles opened a banner that read 'Tata, No Room for Turtles?' a pun on the hotel's slogan 'No Room for the Ordinary'.

''The Tatas' port at Dhamra in Orissa is going to jeopardize our mating and feeding grounds. Ratan Tata is callously ignoring our pleas to save us and so we have now been forced to come to the Taj in search of an alternative home,'' said Jitesh Mohanan, Turtle Spokesperson.

''On June 19, we approached Tata AIG Life Insurance for insurance cover since the Tatas were destroying our homes and lives. Since the Tatas refused to grant us insurance, we have now been forced to invade the Taj, in quest for a new habitat'' he said.

Tata Steel's proposed port is less than 15 km from the world's largest mass nesting site at Gahirmatha, where upto 5,00,000 turtles have been known to nest in a single year.

Tata's has always maintained that turtles are not found near the port site and if evidence of their presence was recorded, they would reconsider the port.

In March 2007, a study conducted by renowned herpetologist and member of the IUCN's Amphibian Specialist Group Dr S K Dutta unequivocally established the presence of turtles in the offshore waters near the port.

The study also recorded other rare species on the port site itself, which have been ignored in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) done for the project.

''The Tata's are jeopardizing their reputation for integrity by refusing to address this issue in a direct and straightforward manner, said Greenpeace India Oceans Campaigner Ashish Fernandes.

''Greenpeace is calling on Ratan Tata to walk the talk and act with the integrity that JRD Tata and the other legends of the family would be proud of.

If the Tata's truly value our country's environment, they must pull out of the Dhamra port project,'' reminded Fernandes.

Further, the company has chosen to ignore specific scientific concerns raised by Greenpeace, through the Critique of the Dhamra EIA report as well as the findings of the biodiversity assessment which Greenpeace had commissioned, he added.

UNI