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Greenpeace under fire

Special Correspondent

MLAs lash out at eco watchdog

BHUBANESWAR: The controversy over the alleged tampering of a report of the North Orissa University by Greenpeace took a turn on Friday with legislators cutting across the party lines criticising the environment campaign body for resorting to a ‘misinformation’ campaign on the proposed Dhamra port project in Bhadrak district of the State.

As the issue came up for discussion in the Assembly in the form of a calling attention notice, two Ministers squarely blamed Greenpeace for making changes in the report that the university had submitted to it following a study in the Dhamra area.

Observing that Greenpeace had resorted to a spreading misinformation on the Dhamra port project, Commerce and Transport Minister Jayanarayan Mishra said his Department has requested the Higher Education Department to initiate action against the campaign organisation through the Planning and Coordination Department and prohibit their operations in the State.

Mr. Mishra said that the Dhamra port project had received the environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Shipping andTransport in January 2000.

Observing that the National Environment Appellate Authority had also disposed of complaint of the Beach Protection Council, Mr. Mishra said that at present there was no dispute about environment clearance for the port project.

On the alleged changes made by Greenpeace in the university report, Higher Education Minister Samir Dey said the report prepared by North Orissa University had nothing to do with the information and observations that contained in the Greenpeace report.

Stating that the university study was confined to the biodiversity of the Dhamra estuary, Mr. Dey said the information and comments on the Dhamra port project were of Greenpeace.

“By claiming that the report was prepared by the university, Greenpeace has committed a serious blunder,” the Minister said.

The university had conducted a study on the Dhamra area after it was commissioned the same by Greenpeace in March this year.

The university, however, had raised objections after the Greenpeace made the report public by making ‘drastic changes’ in the report prepared by the university team.

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