NGT impleads Andhra Pradesh in Olive Ridley turtle death case

CHENNAI: Noting that a large number of Olive Ridley turtles died along Andhra Pradesh coasts also, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Andhra Pradesh Fisheries and Forest departments to file their reports.

The bench also asked the Tamil Nadu government to submit details of the number of turtles killed in Chennai and the operation of trawler boats.

When the suo motu case came for hearing on Friday, government pleader D Shanmuganathan pointed out reports of mass turtle deaths along the coasts of neighbouring states and informed that around 3,000 turtles have died.

Following this, the bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and Satyagopal Korlapati (expert member) issued orders to implead the Fisheries Department and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Andhra Pradesh.

The bench expressed disappointment over the reports filed by the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department and Forest Department, and opined that the details in the reports were insufficient.

The bench then directed the State government to submit details about the number of trawler boats and details of turtle excluder devices (TED) installed in such boats. The government was also asked to provide a day-to-day death count of Olive Ridley turtles. Seeking detailed reports from the two states, the bench posted the next hearing on February 7.

During the earlier hearing on January 22, the tribunal warned the government of banning trawler boats during the nesting season. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) is also testing the seawater to ascertain whether pollution caused the deaths.

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