Indo Lankan ferry: Eco concerns take a backseat

S M Arun
First Published : 09 Jul 2010 02:47:34 AM IST
Last Updated : 09 Jul 2010 06:59:44 AM IST
THOOTHUKUDI: While the proposed Indo Sri Lanka ferry service between Thoothukudi Colombo and Rameswaram talaimannar was given increased importance in terms of business and tourism related activities, the environmental aspect had taken a backseat, according to marine biologists and environmentalists.
The Gulf of Mannar, the first Marine Biosphere Reserve in the South and South East Asia, stretching from Rameswaram to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, is one of the richest coastal and marine biodiverse areas with the maximum diversity in coral reef systems.
It encompassed a chain of islands while the adjoining coral reefs, between Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi districts, form the core zone, the Marine National Park.
J Prabakar, coordinator of SINFPAD (Southern Initiative NGO Forum for Participatory Development) told Express that the environmental aspect should be given due importance as the proposed ferry service is not just the end, but the forerunner for many more such services in the future. "Oil spills and pollution in the Gulf of Mannar area could pose a serious threat to this fragile but productive biosphere", he said.
It may be noted that the environmental aspect here gains increased importance as the presently shelved Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project had also been strongly opposed.
While the RameswaramTalaimannar ferry service, started in 1914, was stopped after the 1964 cyclone that had destroyed Dhanushkodi, the ThoothukudiColombo service had never actually picked up. The Gulf of Mannar was declared as Marine Biosphere Reserve of India only in 1989 and the proposed ferry services, would be the first in this protected area.

http://expressbuzz.com/biography/indo-lankan-ferry-eco-concerns-take-a-backseat/188223.html