AND NOW, it's the turn of the Orissa Maritime and Chilka Area Development Authority (OMCAD). OMCAD has stepped into the Chilka leasing controversy with an advertisement for leasing three plots around the Chilka lake for prawn culture units. While those fighting against the Tata project have been quick to take to the streets, the environment department under chief minister Biju Patnaik is maintaining a stony silence. Senior officials in the department are, however, said to be disturbed over OMCAD's proposal, especially since the Union ministry of environment and forests has placed instructions to stop work on the Tata project until an environmental impact assessment is completed. According to sources, OMCAD felt its authority had been eroded after the Chilka Development Authority was set up earlier this year and the advertisement is it's way of showing it is still the master of Chilka.
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