The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1994 was meant as a tool to ensure that developmental projects did not ride roughshod over environmental concerns. The notification listed 29 (later increased to 30) industrial and developmental activities that needed environmental clearance from the central government. The projects included are listed in Schedule I and it reads thus: "…ports, harbours, airports, (except minor ports and harbours)…"
It is not clear why an exception was made for minor ports, but what is now clear is that this innocent-sounding clause has created one of the biggest loopholes in Indian environmental legislation with immense implications. Throughout the length of India's coast, dozens of 'minor' ports are lined up for development, with scant regard for the environment and traditional livelihood options. One such location is the fishing harbour of Tadri in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district at the mouth of the Aghanashini river. Tadri is to be developed as the state's first minor port, with private investment from an international consortium comprising the South Korean Hanjin Construction and Engineering Company and the Mumbai-based Zoom Developers.
The word 'minor' here is a misnomer. One would presume that a port would be classified as minor on the basis of quantum of investment, land requirements, impacts on people and the environment. But nothing could be further from the truth. The difference is not based on any of these parameters but on the basis of jurisdiction. India presently has 12 major ports and around 150 'minor' ones. Major ports such as Kandla, Cochin, Chennai and Vishakapatnam are controlled by the central government, whereas 'minor' ports are in the charge of state governments. Thus the new Mangalore Port in Karnataka, spread over about 2,000 acres, is a major port, yet Tadri, which will cover over 1,500 acres with an investment of Rs. 2,000 crores is a 'minor' port! The environmental impacts of such a large project will certainly not be minor, yet legally, such projects do not require environmental clearance, as mandated under the EIA notification. Moreover, the public hearing mechanism becomes non-operational in the case of minor port projects. The project will require environmental clearances under the CRZ notification, but there will be virtually no access to EIAs and project reports.
This loophole must be plugged urgently, or else dozens of places like Tadri could be destroyed forever, without even a space for informed dissent. The Aghanashini estuary spreads over 2,500 ha. and is very significant ecologically, possessing a good mangrove cover. Over 175 bird species have been recorded here and the area has been proposed as a bird sanctuary. It is also known for kagga, a salt-tolerant rice variety, which generates Rs. 3.5 crores annually. Fishing is the main livelihood in the estuary, as the shallow bed and dense mangroves provide excellent breeding grounds. The output from salt pans has been estimated at 30 to 35 crores annually, while the shellfish trade earns Rs. five crore per year. There appears to be no justification for destroying such a productive ecosystem. The Tadri port proposal should be scrapped immediately.
Readers can write a letter asking that the proposed Tadri port project be halted and that an EIA be made mandatory for minor ports as well.
