Why Save the turtles?

Consider this… Olive Ridley turtles rely on an inexplicable, in-built navigation system that guides them, when it’s time for them to reproduce, back to the precise coast on which they were born.

Now consider something else… The proposed Tata port at Dhamra threatens a nesting site that is amongst the last honeymoon suites for the remaining Olive Ridleys, a highly-endangered species that swims all the way here from places as far away as Australia and the Philippines.

When you consider these two facts together, it seems only logical that Tata would reconsider its decision to build the port at Dhamra, and build it in an area that’s less ecologically sensitive. It seems especially logical when it’s Tata we’re talking about.

After all, Tata has grown from a national giant into an international player, while constantly stating its commitment to the principles of social upliftment, environmental justice and sustainable development. The Tata brand is ubiquitous, present in hundreds of products that have genuinely improved the lives of generations of Indians; from the Tata salt that flavours our daily bread, the Tata BP solar geyser that warms our winter baths, the Tata Telecom that manages our communications, to the Tata cars that ‘drive a billion dreams.’

And yet, in Orissa, we’re witnessing a different side to the same Tata. A Tata that shuts its ears to reason. A Tata that looks the other way when confronted with evidence. A Tata that cares nothing for the community, and even less for nature.

The port Tata is proposing to build in Dhamra will directly affect the Olive Ridley turtles. With 150,000 to 350,000 Olive Ridley turtles nesting in the vicinity, the average number of hatchlings is believed to range from 15 million to 35 million.

When confronted by Greenpeace Tata promised concerned citizens that it would abandon the port ‘if evidence of turtle presence and the ecological significance of the area were ever unearthed.’

The evidence was submitted , but this promise wasn’t kept. The perfunctory EIA carried out in this area isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Another nesting season has passed us by, with turtle mortality from mechanized fishing agonizingly high. Coming in addition to this annual death toll, the Tata port could be the final nail in the turtle’s coffin, ensuring that this area is never safe for turtles again.

Will this willful destruction be the legacy that Tata leaves behind in Orissa?

Not if you can help it. To write directly to Ratan Tata and ask him to change his mind, simply sign the letter on the right.