The debate regarding the construction of a telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii is heating up. Protesters have also submitted a petition to the Hawaii governor to stop the construction of the massive telescope on the sacred mountain.
The mountain is 4,200 meters, or about 13,700 feet, above sea level and astronomers claim it is the ideal location for building a telescope for astronomical observations in the northern hemisphere. Mauna Kea is the house to many other powerful telescopes but local Hawaiians are protesting against the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on the peak.
The protests have witnessed various arrests and delay in the construction work. Locals along with hundreds of University of Hawaii's students and faculty members are protesting the telescope construction.
On April 7, David Ige, the governor of Hawaii, also announced temporarily stopping the project and it is unknown when the project will start again. Protesters have also submitted a petition to Governor Ige that contains signatures of more than 53,000 people who are against the construction of the giant telescope.
The protests started in late March this year and since then the police have arrested more than 30 protesters. Their arrangements are scheduled for April 28 and May 7 but protesters have also requested the governor to drop the charges on the arrested.
"They're criminalizing our people for protecting our mountain," says Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the protest leaders.
While protest groups have submitted their petition to the governor to stop the project, members of the TMT group claim that they have the legal right to build the telescope on the mountain. TMT project members have revealed that they have all necessary approvals from relevant authorities for the construction of the telescope.
The project is an international cooperation between the U.S., Canada, Japan, India and China. The project is estimated to cost about $1.4 billion and is estimated to make important astronomical observations.
When the construction of TMT is completed it will become the world's largest telescope. The TMT has been scheduled to start operations in 2023; however, with the latest controversies, it remains to be seen when the TMT actually starts its operations.
Photo: Thomas Tunsch | Flickr
