Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday opened a brand new entrance in his battle with the centre, this time over a proposed offshore petroleum and pure gasoline mining venture within the Gulf of Mannar area, which lies between India’s southeastern tip and Sri Lanka’s western coast.
He wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to warn of “irreversible injury” to the delicate marine ecosystem.
Mr Stalin reminded the Prime Minister the proposed mining venture is close to a marine biosphere reserve that’s house to coral reefs, sea grass, and huge stretches of mangrove forests which might be important to the coastal state, offering meals, drugs, and wooden, in addition to a thriving habitat for animals and birds, lots of that are endangered, and safety from storms and tidal waves.
The Chief Minister additionally warned of the affect on a marine reserve for dugong that’s in Palk Bay, which kinds a transboundary space inside the waters of the 2 nations.
These waters are house to a small however important breeding inhabitants – down from a a lot bigger quantity – of the marine mammal, in addition to acres of seagrass that’s its main supply of meals.
The dugong is assessed by the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature as ‘susceptible due to threats that embody water air pollution; the IUCN notes it’s “notably susceptible to anthropogenic disturbances due to their lengthy life span and gradual replica.”
The mining, Mr Stalin continued, can even have an effect on the livelihood of lakhs of Tami fishermen, inflicting “immense nervousness amongst coastal communities”. He wrote, “The dangers of sediment plumes, poisonous waste discharge, and habitat destruction can’t be overstated…”
Mentioning additionally that the state authorities had not been consulted earlier than the blocks within the Gulf of Mannar area had been notified to be auctioned, Mr Stalin sought the PM’s private intervention and roll again not solely this notification, but in addition delete all notified biospheres and biodiversity hotspots from the OALP, or the Petroleum Ministry’s Open Acreage Licensing Programme.
The notification in query was introduced on February 11 and contains practically 10,000 sq km inside the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, which features a marine nationwide park that’s unfold over 560 sq km. The dugong reserve is unfold over 448 sq km.
DMK vs BJP Battle Continues
Mr Stalin’s letter comes as Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK and the BJP-led centre lock horns over two contentious points forward of subsequent 12 months’s Meeting election.
One is the allegation of ‘Hindi imposition’, that the centre, via its Nationwide Training Coverage, is forcing Tamil college students to study Hindi. Tamil Nadu has lengthy been suspicious of getting the language foisted upon it, and has twice earlier than launched fierce protests on this matter.
READ | “Saying Silly Things”: Centre On Stalin’s “Hindi Destroyed 25…” Jab
The centre has mentioned there isn’t a plan to ‘impose’ Hindi, however Union Training Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has come beneath fireplace from the DMK for linking central funds to compliance.
READ | “Sword Over South States”: Tamil Nadu’s Stalin Slams Delimitation
The second is the problem of delimitation, or the redrawing of parliamentary constituencies for the 2029 common election. Mr Stalin has claimed this may scale back the variety of Lok Sabha seats for Tamil Nadu, if the centre decides to extend, exponentially, seats for northern states on the idea of inhabitants (which they’ve failed to manage), thereby limiting the significance of the southern state in Parliament.
Residence Minister Amit Shah not too long ago assured Tamil Nadu and the opposite southern states they won’t lose out. however Mr Stalin expressed concern that Mr Shah had not dominated out extra seats for northern states.
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