Vizhinjam sea port project needs clarity

Thiruvananthapuram: With the National Green Tribunal (NGT) hearing on the Vizhinjam sea port project in the final stage, the state will have to formulate a clear stand on the environmental impact of the project.

Environmentalist Harish Vasudevan told DC that the final hearing of the case had begun this week. The court is likely to conclude the hearing by June 1 and  pronounce the verdict on July 1. Mr Vasudevan said that the outgoing government had tried to implead  Adani in the case  and  prolong the case.

Vizhinjam sea port project

With the Supreme Court lifting the stay on the proceedings in the appeals against environment clearance and asking the NGT to dispose of the case   within  six weeks, the hearing was once again initiated. The main contention to be resolved by the NGT is whether the coastal stretches in and around the proposed Vizhinjam port area in Thiruvananthapuram district are prone to high erosion or not.

According to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2011, no port should be constructed in a high erosion coast. If the tribunal finds  that the coastal stretches in and around the project area are erosion- prone, the environment clearance could be quashed.   Adani who bagged the contract was not a party in the ongoing legal battle.