BHUBANESWAR: Environmental activists on Tuesday strongly opposed the proposed bridge project over Chilika and questioned the one-day inspection by an expert panel at the site to consider the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)’s request for grant of terms of reference (ToR).
Addressing media persons, members of Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, Odisha Environmental Society, Chilika Bachao Abhiyan, Daya Suraksha Abhiyan and other forums alleged construction of the proposed 3.4-km bridge over Chilika lake under Sagarmala project will not only destroy the natural environment and biodiversity of Chilika but also have a profound effect on the livelihood of the local community.
They said the speed at which the NHAI wrote letter to the state government and the site inspection was done has made it a farcical and confusing exercise. The NHAI had written a letter to the government on February 6 and the sub-committee, formed on the recommendation of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) carried out the exercise in just a single day on February 8, they said.
“The NHAI letter and the exercise indicate the desperation to construct the bridge over Chilika at the cost of its ecology, unique diversity and livelihood of locals,” Mahanadi Bachao Andolan convenor Sudarsan Das alleged while questioning how can the team address the concerns raised by the EAC by a one-day site inspection. The environmentalists further threatened to intensify protest if the Centre, NHAI and the state government did not stop the project.
The site inspection was carried out after the EAC flagged environmental issues over the proposed bridge and called for a cost-benefit analysis of the 7.74 km project planned to be built at a cost of around Rs 526.08 crore.
With around 3.4 km length of the proposed bridge falling under the draft eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) boundary of the Nalabana (Chilika) Wildlife Sanctuary, the EAC has also sought clarification from NHAI on the necessity of constructing the bridge project.