Archive · 5 Nov 2025
Medha Patkar Warns Karnataka Govt Over Honnavar Port Project
Imagine a beautiful place in India called the Western Ghats, where many animals and plants live, and a river called Sharavathi flows into the sea.
Some people want to build a big port and a new road there.
A kind activist named Medha Patkar is worried this will cut down too many trees, hurt the animals like the monkey with a lion's tail, and ruin the river and the sea where fishermen get their food.
She says this is like destroying nature for new buildings.
She told the state's leader, the Chief Minister, about her worries.
The Chief Minister said he will check on it.
People who fish for a living are also sad because they think the port will take away their homes and their jobs, and they say they have been trying to stop this for a long time.
Social activist Medha Patkar warned the Karnataka government about environmental threats from the Honnavar port and Sharavathi pumped storage projects.
Patkar stated that the projects could lead to the felling of over 16,000 trees and severely impact wildlife, including endangered species.
The Honnavar port project threatens estuaries, mangroves, and the livelihoods of fishing communities, with concerns about expired environmental clearances.
Medha Patkar met with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who promised to review the issue and directed the withdrawal of FIRs against fisherfolk.
Local fisherfolk have been opposing the port project since 2010, citing threats to their livelihoods and alleging intimidation through false cases.
- Who
- Social activist Medha Patkar, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, fisherfolk, and environmental activists.
- What
- Medha Patkar warned the Karnataka government about the severe environmental and livelihood threats posed by the Honnavar port project and the Sharavathi pumped storage project. The Chief Minister has promised to look into the issue.
- When
- Tuesday (when Medha Patkar expressed concerns and met the CM)
- Where
- Bengaluru (where the fact-finding report was released), Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka (location of the projects)
- Why
- To protest against development projects that threaten the environment, wildlife, and the livelihoods of fishing communities, and to draw attention to expired environmental clearances and alleged intimidation of protestors.
Environmental and Community Concerns
Development Project
Ecological Impact
Environmental and Community Concerns
Constant drilling and development projects like the Honnavar port threaten to destroy the Western Ghats, fell over 16,000 trees, severely impact wildlife including endangered species, and destroy estuaries and mangroves, thereby affecting fishing communities' livelihoods.
Development Project
The project is described as 'development' that can provide economic benefits, with the implication that it is necessary or desirable despite environmental concerns.
Land Acquisition and Community Opposition
Environmental and Community Concerns
The Honnavar port is planned on 44 hectares of land belonging to five fishing villages, and locals and environmental activists have been opposing it since 2010. There are allegations of false FIRs being registered against fisherfolk to intimidate them.
Development Project
Honnavar Port Private Limited was granted permission to build a commercial port in 2010, and surveys for the project have continued despite opposition.
Environmental Clearance Validity
Environmental and Community Concerns
The environmental clearance obtained for the project is more than a decade old and has expired. False reports may have been submitted regarding the presence of wildlife, such as olive ridley turtles.
Development Project
Permission was granted for the construction of the commercial port.
- Project Name
- Honnavar Port Project
- Location
- Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka
- Project Components
- Construction of port (44 hectares) and a 4-km, four-lane road connecting to NH66
- Land Affected
- 44 hectares belonging to five fishing villages: Tonka 1, Tonka 2, Pavinkurva, Mallukurva, and Honnavar Rural
- Key Concerns
- Destruction of Western Ghats, felling of trees, impact on wildlife (lion-tailed macaque), destruction of estuaries and mangroves, threat to fishing communities' livelihoods, and expired environmental clearance.
- Activist Involved
- Medha Patkar
- Government Official Met
- Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah