Dear Samit,

Thanks for the nice words about my book, and good luck with both of yours!

I imagine that if you are willing to think about environmental and other issues,
and are sincere in implementing sustainable solutions, you are not the enemy.

One major concern I have about construction on the Andamans is that the upturned
soil will run off and kill the corals. This has happened at the Dolphin resort
on Havelock, where the corals in front are smothered and dead. It is bound to
happen for any construction project near the beach. In contrast, last time I
looked, the beach at Radhanagar, also on Havelock, was exquisite. Tourists
stayed in tents, and were very happy to be able to stay overnight in such a
beautiful place. Most of them slept on the beach.

All an ecotourist needs, in my view, is a sense of security: a sense that they
have pure water to drink and won't get sick, that they won't get robbed. And, of
course, a place worth visiting, which in my view the Dolphin resort is not--any
more. Amenities they can get at home.

You must know that corals are dying all over the world because of global
warming. The only way some corals in the Andamans might survive is if they are
cared for, and not subject to additional stresses. Runoff of soil from land has
already destroyed all corals near settled areas of the Andamans. Any new tourism
development must guard against the danger of killing the goose that lays the
golden eggs: no corals means no tourists. I think that in essence, it means that
hotels will need to be very far from the corals and beaches.

Madhusree

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