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SOURCE : http://delon.in/wtf-is-happening/2-m...reenpeace.html
Year after year we saw them slaughtered. And as the death toll rose, so did our frustration.
Between 1999 and 2006, over 10,000 turtles died due to illegal fishing activity.
Our government refused to do anything. Refused to acknowledge the carcasses spread across the beaches of Orissa. Refused to put a stop to the massacre. Refused to act.
We took them on.
In 2006 we performed the last rites for 20 dead turtles… in front of the Orissa Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik’s official residence in Delhi.
Dead turtles that were not supposed to exist, lined up outside his house. Pretty dead.
Three activists were arrested and thrown into the high-security Tihar jail. For four days they languished in prison for blowing a whistle on the government’s inaction.
And while the lawyers and policemen argued, 3,000 kilometers away on the coast of Orissa, the turtles continued to perish.Love. Peace Justice.
The coming year, largely due to Greenpeace efforts, the Orissa government earmarked Rupees 3 crores for turtle protection work. After years of campaigning, we thought we had reached our goal.
We couldn’t have been more wrong.
Only two years after our supposed victory, the Tatas started building a massive port.
Dhamra, a town 12 miles from the turtle nesting place, was chosen as the port site, while an equally feasible site at a safe distance was neglected. Inspite of uur protests, the company decided to go ahead with the port construction.
We sent them petitions, lit candles outside Mr. Ratan Tata’s house and, when all else failed, we blockaded their headquarters in Bombay.
Hoping. Praying that they will respond to our demands.
Instead, they threatened us, maligned us, and met our non-violent activism with violence.
We could only watch in horror, as the highly respected Tatas stepped off their self-proclaimed pedestal of caring for the environment, and fell to the level of dirty American oil companies.
Till this date, no other company has been singularly responsible for eliminating an entire species from the face of the planet. The Tatas might soon be the pioneers in the extinction technology. And this is the legacy that they are going to leave behind for our children.
It was never a battle between Greenpeace and the Tatas, it has been a battle between the turtles and the Tatas. We have nothing to gain from fighting one of the most respected companies in India.
But the turtles do, and they could always use a hand. In fact they really need one.
By joining the Vote 4 Earth campaign, you are lending then a hand. But to keep them safe from the jaws of extinction, it’ll take many more people. Click here to invite your friends to join the campaign to protect our oceans!
The Vote4Earth Team
PS: Greenpeace’s campaign to save our oceans is only as strong as the number of ordinary Indian citizens that support it. On our own, we’re alone. Together with others, we’re a force. Please get others to join this campaign so we can become a force that neither governments nor powerful corporations can ignore.
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