Tata to talk turtles

Press release - August 27, 2009

MUMBAI, India — Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata today agreed to meet Greenpeace representatives for talks on the Orissa Dhamra port-Olive Ridley Sea Turtle controversy. Both sides would fix a date for the meeting.

Tata's offer came after Greenpeace International Chair Lalita Ramdas questioned the group's environment policy on the Dhamra port. Ramdas raised the issue during Tata Steel's 102nd Annual General Meeting here. "I am glad that Mr. Tata has, for the first time, said he will take a personal interest in the issue and meet us to arrive at a solution to the impasse," Ramdas said.

The shareholders who raised questions included former Chief of Naval Staff and Magsaysay award winner Admiral Ramdas. The Dhamra port in Orissa is being constructed by the Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL), a 50:50 joint venture between Tata Steel and L&T. The project has generated a storm of criticism for potential impact on the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle and the Gahirmatha and Bhitarkanika sanctuaries.

The port's location has been of concern for years to conservationists, scientists, turtle experts, and local and national fisher groups, all of who have opposed it (1). They say an environment impact assessment (EIA) for the project has not been satisfactorily conducted (2). A four-month dialogue between the promoters of Dhamra and NGOs including Greenpeace India stalled in February this year after Tata Steel refused to suspend construction and commission an independent assessment of impact. (3)

At the AGM today, Lalita Ramdas asked Ratan Tata and the board of directors how they could justify refusal to suspend dredging, when a comprehensive impact assessment was yet to be done. "Over one lakh Indians (4) are waiting to see what Mr. Tata will do. The Tatas have thus far missed an opportunity with Dhamra to set high environmental standards for corporate India. A responsible corporate entity must have an environment policy that, among other things, keeps it away from ecologically critical areas," she said.

Greenpeace India has been campaigning for years for an independent environment assessment, the results of which would determine the future of the project. The protests have largely been ignored, and DPCL had said construction could be completed by April 2010.

Contact information

For more information visit http://greenpeace.in/turtle, or contact:

Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner, +91 99801 99380;

Ankur 'Toby' Ganguly, Communications Manager, +91 98453 73818;