The bench is scheduled to decide a case filed by Hindu activists who say Adam’s Bridge is a heritage site built by Ram and should be declared a national monument.
Even if the Supreme Court issues a verdict allowing the the blasting, Neeri has threatened to withdraw its approval. “Our report cleared it without the blasting. The region is a marine biosphere. There are many Schedule-I species in the area. Any blasting will destroy its (the area’s) fragile ecology. We simply cannot, cannot risk it,” says S. Vate, one of the authors of the Neeri report.
Schedule-I species are endangered species listed in the Indian Wildlife Act. The list includes species such as the tiger and the chinkara deer.
An ecological problem
Ecologists and conservationists have also begun preparing arguments against the project. Areeba Hamid, oceans campaigner of Greenpeace India, says the Gulf of Mannar, with over 3,600 known species of fauna and flora, is home to rare and endangered species. “The biodiversity of this region is already under threat. We need to keep away threats like the Sethu project,” she says.
Seven years ago, the shipping minister would have agreed with her.
When he inaugurated the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust in December 2000, T.R. Baalu, then the minister for environment in the Tamil Nadu government, said in his speech: “The Gulf of Mannar is of very special importance as it has rich variety of flora and fauna and is regarded as a biologist’s paradise. It holds tremendous genetic diversity in the form of sea algae, sea grass, coral reefs, fin and shellfish resources, mangroves and various endemic and endangered species. The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve is the first marine reserve to have been declared as such, not only in India but also in South and South-East Asia.” He also highlighted the importance of protecting the area: “There are serious problems, which confront the region due to activities of human beings. This biosphere reserve was established for attempting an integrated approach to resolving the adverse impacts of human activities on the rich biodiversity of this ecologically fragile area.”
It seems he has changed his mind.
The minister and shipping secretary A.K. Mahapatra could not be reached despite repeated attempts. The ministry also seems to have placed a gag order on everyone working on this project. It has been impossible to talk to employees of SCL, who are afraid of losing their jobs. Suresh, the project’s new chairman, says he cannot respond to questions about his predecessor Raghupathy’s work. Packing up his home in Tuticorin, Raghupathy says he cannot talk, because he is no longer in charge of the project.