Karnataka takes on Centre to save Nethrani Island

The state is at loggerheads with the Union government to save the last Western Ghats Archipelago Island, situated 9 nautical miles from Bhatkal, from being bombarded by the Indian Navy for target practice. Letters are flowing in to the defence ministry and Western Naval Command demanding to stop the practice in Nethrani Island (Pigeon Island), a national biodiversity heritage spot.

The first letter, written by the state's chief secretary and addressed to the defence secretary, was sent in March asking to stop bombarding the island. The defence secretary, however, is yet to reply. The second, written in April by the additional director general of police (CID) Forests KSN Chikkerur, sought the same from the Vice Admiral of Western Command in April. The second letter too did not get any response.

Chikkerur said his letter was based on a report published byDNA.
"The National Biodiversity Board is not competent to permit the Navy or anybody else to bombard a national biodiversity heritage site. The process of getting such permission even by our own Navy and other armed forces is a long drawn process; it cannot be assigned by a stroke of pen by an official of the diversity board," said Chikkerur.

He said ballistics experts studied the AK 100 MM shells used for practice in Nethrani and found that they create earth-shattering effect which was more dangerous than the sudden heat they generate. "The normal temperature of the island is stated to be 29 ?-30 ?. But when the shells explode, the temperature suddenly shoots up to 5,000 ?.

One can imagine what will happen to the fragile ecology of the island and the corals," Chikkerur said, adding that he will volunteer to take the vice admiral or any high official of the Navy to Nethrani and let them see for themselves the damage caused to the ecosystem.

State minister for environment and ecology, science and technology Krishna Palemar was disappointed at the Navy's response to the letters sent by the chief secretary and the ADGP (CID) Forests.

"According to the rules, the Navy should have consulted scientific experts and commissioned them to do an environment impact assessment of their bombing on Nethrani Island. Since the island is now a national biodiversity heritage spot, action can be taken against any further damage to the biodiversity and the land mass of Nethrani." The Navy has so far been adamant to continue the bombardment in Nethrani.

"The Navy has to sharpen its skills by taking up target practicing and Nethrani is the most convenient target available to Navy in Western command area," said chief of the Naval staff Admiral Nirmal Varma when he had come to Kadamba Naval base in Karwar recently.

Admiral Varma had also told that the National Biodiversity Board had permitted the Navy to carry out bombing of the Nethrani Island.

source: DNA

(Bhatkallys file photo)