HYDERABAD: A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Hyderabad High Court challenging the decision of the Central government in dropping the proposal to establish a major port at Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district and finalising Dugarajapatnam in Nellore district for establishing the port.
The petitioner, Development Organisation for Socio Economic Change, an NGO represented by its president Chunduri Ranga Rao of Prakasam district, filed the PIL by submitting that establishment of port at Dugarajapatnam will cause immense threat to the ecological balance as the proposed site was surrounded by Pulicat Lake, Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, Nellapattu Bird Sanctuary and Dry Season Bird Sanctuary.
The petitioner organisation stated that the Department of Space has already addressed a letter to the ministry of shipping informing that the establishment of a major port at Dugarajapatnam will be a serious security threat to the national defence and strategic establishments at Sriharikota such as Satish Dhawan Space Centre and Indian Space Research Organisation.
The PIL said that Ramayapatnam is free of these disadvantages, but the ministry of shipping has chosen Dugarajapatnam to establish the port for extraneous considerations.