Appellate tribunal dismisses appeal

Fishers' plead to scrap port, SEZ on Kachchh coast

'Supreme Court could have saved India's beaches'

Probir Banerjee, president of citizens' advocacy group Pondycan, spoke to Arnab Pratim Dutta on his continuing fight against the proposed port in Puducherry On the recent Supreme Court decision allowing the port

Natural allies

Mindless industrialization threatens tribals and biodiversity. Therein lies a possible collaboration conservation groups and promoters of the Dhamra port in Orissa are at loggerheads. While conservationists say the port will adversely affect Gahirmatha, which has the world's largest turtle nesting beaches, promoter Tata steel says the concerns are unfounded.

Right of way

Olive Ridley turtles missed their annual nesting trip to the Orissa coast last year. Conservation groups blamed the upcoming port at Dhamra. The turtles are back this year, and port proponents Tata and L&T claim vindication. They overlook the violations that have allowed the port at Dhamra in the first place

Turtles return to nest

Concern over the survival of Olive Ridleys persist WHEN the Olive Ridley turtles did not turn up on the islands off Gahirmatha beach in Orissa last year for mass nesting, the Dhamra port under construction less than 15 km away, was blamed. The turtles were back in droves this March and jostled to find suitable nesting ground.

Port end

Silt has left the Hooghly shallow. Haldia port faces closure Silt deposits at the mouth of the Hooghly river have rendered Haldia port nearly unnavigable, raising fears that India's second largest container port might soon be shut down. The formation of sandbars, largely due to inadequate dredging, has raised the riverbed, making the shipping

Bureaucracy on the beach

Orissa government looks for ways to stall beach erosion, does not recognize climate change The rising sea level has alarmed the Orissa government. It has decided to combat it with geo-tubes. Orissa's director of environment, Bhagirathi Behera chaired a meeting on May 18 on the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan in which he said, "We are preparing to install geo-tubes

More sops

Or, how to bend over to please industry

"Dear Naveen ji"

Jual Oram shoots off a stinker Jual Oram, (then) state president of the BJP, in coalition with Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik's BJD, is angry. His letter, dated July 1, 2005, to the chief minister shows why: On 'swap' and import from Brazil: "It has been mentioned in the MoU that Indian iron ore contains more alumina for which 30% of the ore will be exported and an equal amount of ore will be imported from Brazil having less alumina so that high quality steel can be produced..."

Out on a limb

21 February, 2006: Anti-POSCO groups demonstrate against the visit of the then Panchayati Raj Minister, Dr Damodar Rout 8 December, 2006: Anti-POSCO convention held at Balitutha February, 2007: Polling for panchayat elections could not be held on some booths in Dhinkia following protests 13 October, 2007: Four POSCO-India executives taken hostage and beaten up 29 November, 2007: Pro and anti-POSCO activists clash at Balitutha Bridge. At least 20 sustain injuries