Disaster port

THE proposed construction of a megaport in Vadhvan, near Mumbai, will have serious implications on the environment of the region, says a study by an independent researcher, Ritu Dewan, department of economics, Mumbai University. Earlier, the Tata Risk Management Services (TRMS) had given a clean chit to the project. But Dewan states that the TRMs report has failed to take into account the adverse impact the project will have on the large number of villages in the area and also the forest land. According to Dewan, tribals constitute 23 per cent of the population in the surrounding regions and their lives are intricately linked to the forests.

Moreover, there will be large-scale displacement of people, which has been played down in the report of the company. Also, the TRMS report has completely overlooked the fact that tribal people have nurtured the traditional system of health care.