Thiruvananthapuram: Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar’s seemingly unequivocal stand against the Rs 2000-crore Aranmula airport will not affect the project that has now been given a fresh lease of life, experts say.
The minister’s outburst against the project will count for nothing since the site clearance for the project has already been granted by his ministry.
On April 24, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had granted permission to the KGS Group, the promoters of the project, to conduct a fresh environment impact assessment study.
Permission for EIA is granted only after a site is cleared for a project. “After the site-specific terms of reference have been issued, the minister or the ministry cannot take the stand that the area is unsuitable for the project,” said Harish Vasudevan, the activist-lawyer involved in fighting against the project.
If the new EIA is accepted, the Aranmula project will be back on track. “The KGS Group was well within its rights to seek a fresh EIA after the first one was rejected by the National Green Tribunal,” said James Varghese, a lawyer.
But he said it was strange that the MoEF refused to blacklist the company even though it was proven that it had fudged its earlier EIA.
Earlier EIA, which had declared that Aranmula did not have wetlands, was rejected by the National Green Tribunal on May 18, 2014.
The NGT found that the consultant, Enviro Care, was not accredited with the MoEF. It was also found that the public hearing as part of the EIA was conducted in violation of rules.
The KGS Group was also charged with manipulating the KITCO report that it had submitted to the MoEF.
