MANGALURU/BHATKAL:Conservationists of Uttara Kannada district are gearing up to appeal against the High Court order of Monday allowing the Indian Navy to resume target practice on Netrani Islands in the Supreme Court.
The Navy was restrained from using the islands, about 12 nautical miles from Bhatkal, for target practice in 2011, after environmentalists pointed to the danger it poses to the eco-sensitive region.
B R Deepak, who had in applied against allowing the bombardment of the island in 2011, told Express, “During the period between 2011 and the present, the Netrani island has regenerated and effects of years of bombardment by the Navy has been wiped off. The island is now fully back to its pristine self.”
Quoting from the findings of the Karnataka Bio-diversity Board that visited the Islands recently, Deepak said that the corals in the peripheral waters have begun to grow and vegetation on the islands had started to regenerate.
“It is the last of the Western Ghats archipelago that survived, along with some of the wildlife mentioned in Schedule I of the Wildlife Act, including the White-breasted Eagle, Edible Nest Swiftlets and Corals, and a few endangered varieties of Sharks — all of which were under the protection of the Bio-diversity Board,” Deepak said.
Deepak and his associates will now appeal against Karnataka High Court order in the Supreme Court.
Former Additional Director General of Police (CID) Forests K S N Chikkerur, also known as the green cop, had in 2011 complained to the environment secretary and forests and also to the Commander of the Western Command of the Navy in 2011 against bombardment of the eco-sensitive islands.
A former Navy officer settled in Mangaluru told Express on the condition of anonymity, that the armaments used by the Navy were precise to the last inch and it does not need an eco-sensitive island to check the precision.
The Biodiversity Board members argue that the Navy has not taken the permission of the local government to use the island, saying that it was out of Indian territory.
The Bhatkal Taluk Panchayat, however, claims that the islands are charted within its territorial waters at 19 nautical miles.
Fishermen’s Plight
Senior fishermen’s leader P M Tandel of Karwar told Express that though the target practice by the Navy cannot be opposed as it is carried out in the country’s interest, the government should also protect the interest of fishermen community.
The leader said that the target practice on Netrani — also called the Pigeon Island — has been going on since the British rule.
Fishermen were told a week before the scheduled practice not to venture in and around the islands, he said.
Sources in Karwar naval base said no other island suits the Navy’s needs better than Netrani.
Marine Biologist, prof V N Nayak, termed the High Court order unfortunate.
He said, “The marine life is also very unique here — there are giant clams and corals such as tabletop, branching, and soft corals.”
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