Dear Madhushree,
No worries about distance from the shore. Our projects are all setback more than
200m, in keeping with CRZ regulations. Also no 'house reefs' anywhere near the
vicinity of our locations. have engaged environmental advisors. we are quite big
on 'community development' as part of tourism projects: in my view, no matter
how 'eco-friendly' a set up (which we will be), it isn't 'sustainable' if the
locals don't benefit.
Will be putting up a project report to this forum as soon as it is finalised.
interested in getting feedback.
the 'enem' part was meant to be tongue in cheek. have come across too many
environmentalists who are flush with problems & low on solutions - the type who
propose blanket bans on all activity in the andamans, including tourism.
to my mind, the need of the hour is clear guidelines (no matter how strict) &
sound regulation/policing.
Samit



On Fri, 05 Mar 2004 Madhusree Mukerjee wrote :
>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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>
>
>
>
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>
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>
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