Here is the dark side of the growth that humans have achieved…at the cost of nature and wildlife. From industry to fishermen to tourists, they have all wrought havoc on the poor Olive Ridley turtles that come to nest at three sites in Orissa. Gahirmatha’s Nasi Islands and the Rushikulya and Devi riverbeds.
These turtles have been getting slaughtered thanks to illegal trawling. Now, industrial giants like ONGC, Reliance, Tata and L&T also have been cause of possible annihilation of these endangered species. Well-meaning NGOs like Greenpeace have been fighting hard to protect the Olive Ridley turtles by campaigning against the industrial excesses here.
One can only hope that government and corporate decision makers do not continue to be shortsighted and strike a balance for growth and ecology to co-exist in Orissa.
