THOOTHUKUDI: Even as conservation efforts are afoot to protect the Gulf of Mannar ecosystem and restore its lost resources, VO Chidambaranar Port authorities have invited proposals for setting up petrochemical industries at Hare island of the Gulf of Mannar.
The environmentalists have strongly objected to developing industries on the Hare island, as it will affect the marine ecosystem. Earlier, a petrochemical plant proposed at SIPCOT was shifted 25 km away from residential area to Allikulam in the district.
The Hare island, also called Pandiyan Theevu, is located less than 2 miles away from Thoothukudi shore. It is linked to land via a road on its southern side. The port authorities had allocated an area of 1386.98 acres, including 305 acres on the shore and 1081.98 acres on the Hare island, for promoting industries under the Coastal Employment Unit (CEU) of Sagarmala Programme.
As per tender documents accessed by TNIE, the land would be allotted for a 30-year lease period at a reserve price of Rs 1,258 per square metre. The port had invited industries such as petrochemical, liquified petroleum gas and liquified natural gas companies, food product manufacturers, chemical product manufacturers, fabricated metal manufacturers and motor vehicles manufacturers to establish their plants on the Hare island. The Hare island map featuring land demarcations for industrial plants attached with tender documents shows an allocation of 925.20 acre out of 1081.98 acres for polluting and medium-polluting industries.
The ecologically sensitive area of the Gulf of Mannar, stretching between Mandapam and Kanniyakumari, is one of the four major coral reef areas in the country. Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park constituting 21 islands (two submerged now) is located 6.7 km from the VOC Port.
The Hare island, Cronjee Theevu and Punnaiyadi Theevu islands at the south of Vaan island have been excluded from the Gulf of Mannar islets as the VOC Port was developed before conservation efforts. The port was declared as a major port in July 1974, said sources.
A report by MS Swaminathan Research Foundation said while all the 21 islands were poramboke lands, Tamil Nadu government purchased Musal theevu (Mandapam group) at a cost of Rs 29.88 lakh and Nallathanni island for Rs 9.03 lakh from two individuals.
A map of Thoothukudi that belongs to 1916-32 British-era, sourced from Survey of India, National Library of Scotland, in possession of TNIE shows the presence of the three islands at the southern part of the Gulf of Mannar. The map reveals that the entire port estate was marked as Mullakadu Reserve Forest. The 1200.97 acres of port estate declared as a Reserve Forest by the British in 1923, was de-notified through a government order dated June 2, 2015, of the Environment and Forest Department of Tamil Nadu, except for 21.73 hectares of mangroves.
VOC Port Chairman TK Ramachandran told TNIE every industry will have to go through usual environmental clearance procedures. “The industries will be allowed to operate as per the environment rules and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms despite it being a port land,” he added.