Dinosaurs smother bird habitat
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BHUBANESWAR: Environmentalists and bird lovers
of Odisha have raised strong objection to the proposal to set up an
artificial Dinosaur park on Chadheihaga Island at Chilika
by the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC).
The island, famous as a habitat of residential as well as migratory birds, is also home to many wild plants, butterflies and bats and any kind of artificial development on it is feared to change the ecosystems permanently.
The OTDC has plans to install as many as 34 sculptures of huge dinosaur-like animals on natural rocks of the island to attract tourists. The size of these sculptures will be about eight feet to 15 feet in height and 40 feet in length. Two such fibre models have already been put up at Chilika using concrete and steel and tenders have been floated in newspapers for assigning more works of this nature.
"Has the lake lost all its natural beauty that we need an artificial park to attract tourists to the spot, and at what cost? The government should have done a feasibility and ecological study of the lagoon before going ahead with the project," said Shakti Nanda, a bird lover and conservationist.
Environmentalists also expressed concern over the stability of the Chadheihaga island after largescale construction over it. The natural rockscape has been undisturbed for hundreds of years. Disturbing or altering these rocks by breaking or rearranging may disturb the balance or center of gravity leading to collapse of the whole island. Besides, construction activities will bring in air and noise pollution, the vibrations from machines and tools will affect the rock structure and there will be problems arising due to storage and disposal of construction material and waste, they argued.
"The island comes under the Coastal Regulation Zone 1 under which no alteration or construction is allowed in such areas that may disturb or completely destroy the complex ecology of the place. We found droppings of birds all over the place which confirms that this island is still a roosting place for many birds and justifies its name Chadheihaga Pahada," said Gahar Abedin, an ornithologist.
When contacted, chief engineer of OTDC A K Jena said, "After objection by several organizations the state government has decided to review the decision to set up a Jurassic Park at Chadheihaga. A study will be conducted on the whole matter before starting any further construction."
Environmentalists and bird lovers of organizations like Birds of Orissa Forum, Open Wildlife Lounge and Indian Birds have also written letters to the chief minister in this regard, while a support campaign launched on a popular social site has got a huge response from across the country in support of protecting the ecosystem.
by the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC).
The island, famous as a habitat of residential as well as migratory birds, is also home to many wild plants, butterflies and bats and any kind of artificial development on it is feared to change the ecosystems permanently.
The OTDC has plans to install as many as 34 sculptures of huge dinosaur-like animals on natural rocks of the island to attract tourists. The size of these sculptures will be about eight feet to 15 feet in height and 40 feet in length. Two such fibre models have already been put up at Chilika using concrete and steel and tenders have been floated in newspapers for assigning more works of this nature.
"Has the lake lost all its natural beauty that we need an artificial park to attract tourists to the spot, and at what cost? The government should have done a feasibility and ecological study of the lagoon before going ahead with the project," said Shakti Nanda, a bird lover and conservationist.
Environmentalists also expressed concern over the stability of the Chadheihaga island after largescale construction over it. The natural rockscape has been undisturbed for hundreds of years. Disturbing or altering these rocks by breaking or rearranging may disturb the balance or center of gravity leading to collapse of the whole island. Besides, construction activities will bring in air and noise pollution, the vibrations from machines and tools will affect the rock structure and there will be problems arising due to storage and disposal of construction material and waste, they argued.
"The island comes under the Coastal Regulation Zone 1 under which no alteration or construction is allowed in such areas that may disturb or completely destroy the complex ecology of the place. We found droppings of birds all over the place which confirms that this island is still a roosting place for many birds and justifies its name Chadheihaga Pahada," said Gahar Abedin, an ornithologist.
When contacted, chief engineer of OTDC A K Jena said, "After objection by several organizations the state government has decided to review the decision to set up a Jurassic Park at Chadheihaga. A study will be conducted on the whole matter before starting any further construction."
Environmentalists and bird lovers of organizations like Birds of Orissa Forum, Open Wildlife Lounge and Indian Birds have also written letters to the chief minister in this regard, while a support campaign launched on a popular social site has got a huge response from across the country in support of protecting the ecosystem.
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