HC notice to govt on Agni testing

Cuttack, Dec 17: The Orissa High Court has issued notice to the Centre following a plea by Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) to change the...

Cuttack, Dec 17: The Orissa High Court has issued notice to the Centre following a plea by Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) to change the test site or postpone testfiring of Agni from Wheeler Island in Bay of Bengal in view of the mating season of Olive Ridley sea turtles at nearby Gahirmatha beach.

The Centre was directed to file the counter before January six by a division bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice P C Naik acting upon a fresh affidavit filed by WSO secretary Biswajit Mohanty yesterday.

The petitioner said a new test range for India’s missile programme would go into operation at the Wheeler Island, about 100 km from the interim test range at Chandipur-on-sea, with the proposed testfiring of the new generation Agni likely later this month or sometime in January.

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Mohanty said the Defence Ministry had earlier given a written assurance to Orissa government that it would not carry out any activity in the said area detrimental to undisturbed breeding and nesting ofthe turtles between November and May.

The testing of powerful missiles from the site during the prime breeding season would adversely affect the sea turtles, the petition said.