The letter further elaborated on the threat of extinction that the Tata port poses to the endangered Olive Ridley marine turtles. "Place the planet on par with profits, because there are some things that money just can't buy back."
Tata, the steadily-growing Indian multi-national conglomerate and owner of some of the world's biggest brands, including Corus Steel, Jaguar and Land Rover, is driving the destruction of the one of the last remaining global habitats of the threatened Olive Ridley Sea Turtles(1). Located in the coastal state of Orissa in India, the Dhamra port development is in close proximity to the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary - one of the largest and last mass breeding and nesting sites for the Olive Ridley Turtles in the world - and the Bhitarkanika National Park, India's second largest mangrove forest and home to the saltwater crocodile.
"Over 100,000 people from across the world have already joined Greenpeace in reminding Mr. Ratan Tata of the need to put ecological and environmental imperatives on par with corporate profitability," said Samit Aich, Executive Director, Greenpeace India. "In 2008, over 100,000 Greenpeace cyber-activists called on the Tatas to relocate the port. A Greenpeace poll of nearly 5,000 Tata customers, conducted in February this year, revealed that 98% believed that port construction should be stopped immediately."
While the launch of the Tata Nano has generated significant excitement, this has coincided with public disappointment over Tata's reluctance to suspend dredging and commence an independent and comprehensive biological threat assessment. In the last few weeks alone over 10,000 people have faxed Mr. Tata, calling for a suspension of dredging at the port.
Heightened protests in 2008 forced the Tatas into a dialogue process with an alliance of environmental and conservation organisations. This hit a dead-end in February 2009 after Tata refused to consider any suspension of construction or dredging work at the port(2). The negotiations involved the need to suspend construction, specifically dredging, pending an independent and comprehensive biological threat assessment of the Dhamra Port on the turtles and adjoining areas.
The development of this port has been mired in controversy(3). For years, its location has been a matter of serious concern for conservationists and hundreds of scientists and academics, including turtle experts, as well as local and national fisher groups, who have opposed it(4).
Commenting on the situation, Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace India said, "Scientists, conservationists and the general public are raising an outcry against this port. There is clear evidence of the ecological significance of the port site as well(5). What more does Mr. Ratan Tata need? If the Tatas want to maintain their professed reputation for being sensitive to social and environmental concerns, they have no choice but to suspend dredging and commence an independent and comprehensive assessment."
Other contacts: Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace India
+91-99801 99380, 
Ankur "Toby" Ganguly, Communications Manager, Greenpeace India
+91-98453 73818, 
Oscar Soria, Greenpeace International Communications
+31 6 290 01148, 
Notes: 1. Under the Wildlife Protection Act of India, all species of marine turtles, including Olive Ridleys, are accorded with a Schedule I status of Protection, on par with the tiger.
2. See also: Mangroveactionproject.org, Greenpeace India and Scientists' statements opposing the Dhamra port project.
3. The Orissa State Govt. in December, 1997 issued a fresh proclamation under Section 21 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act to exclude the proposed port area from Bhitarkanika Sanctuary. When the final notification for Bhitarkanika was issued in September 1998, the area was reduced from 367 sq km to 145 sq km. Further, when the proposal for the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary was being drawn up by the Wildlife Department in 1997, the Orissa state government ordered (letter 11693, dated 20/6/97) that the proposed Dhamra Port area be excluded from the draft notification of the sanctuary.
(4). In March 2007, the Department of Forest - Wildlife, Government of Orissa, proposed the notification of an eco-sensitive and eco-fragile area around Bhitarkanika, which includes the Dhamra port area. Predictably, the top brass of the State Government once again ignored this proposal.
(5). In 2007, a survey commissioned by Greenpeace and conducted by Dr. S.K. Dutta of the North Orissa University established the presence of rare species of amphibians and reptiles at the port site. The study also revealed the presence of over 2,000 turtle carcasses on, and near the area. Moreover, the Wildlife Institute of India conducted a study in 2001 with 4 turtles fitted with satellite transmitters. Of these, one is reported in the waters off the Dhamra Port. To date, this is the only concluded telemetry study carried out on turtles in coastal Orissa for which the results are publicly available. In a currently ongoing study conducted by the WII, initiated in 2006, 4 out of 11 turtles fitted with transmitters have been registered in the off-shore waters, off the port site.