A breather for Adani! Aussie PM backs his mining project

Tony Abbott has said that the $-16.5 billion project was ‘vitally important’

Gautam Adani’s stalled mining project in Australia received the much-needed breather with the Australian Prime Minister backing it on Friday.

Tony Abbott has said that the $-16.5 billion project was ‘vitally important’ and ‘sabotaging’ of such developmental plans using legal means was ‘dangerous’.

A court this week revoked the environmental approval for the Adani project, which aims to build one of the world's largest coal mine in Queensland.

The project was opposed by green groups and local residents.

The environmental legal centre EDO NSW, representing the Mackay Conservation Group, had challenged the approval for the project given by Environment Minister Greg Hunt.

The Adani group’s project was halted to protect two vulnerable species -- Yakka Skink and the Ornamental Snake.

Yakka Skink is a secretive animal that is active during the daytime, grows up to 40 centimetres in length and has a thick tail. With a reddish-brown body, it has  broad, dark brown to black stripes that extend from the back side of the neck to the tail.

An omnivorous (eating plans and animals) species, the skink is threatened by land clearing activities and mining.

The other endangered species which the Adani project can harm is the brown coloured Ornamental Snake which has a stout body and grows to a length of 50 cm. A dangerous animal, the ornamental snake has the ability to compress its body and can holds itself in curves.

It can attack brutally if it feels threatened.

With the Australian Prime Minister now advocating for Adani’s mining project, no one knows what is in store for these two species.

Image: A man walks near a coal mine in Australia. Photograph: Reuters

The image is used for representational purpose only