Chennai: Environmental activists and fishermen have raised serious concerns over the Adani Group's move to expand the Kattupalli Port near Chennai. The Group proposed to invest Rs 53,031 crore for expanding the capacity of the Kattupalli port in Thiruvallur district.
The local fishermen have feared that it would cause an adverse impact on the coastal environment and livelihoods of fishermen. Tamil Nadu Maritime Board was running the Kattupalli port in Thiruvallur district, till recently classified as a minor port. In July 2018 Adani Group acquired it with 97 per cent stake from Larsen and Toubro Limited (L&T) and named it as Adani Kattupalli Port Private Limited.
Currently, the port handles a capacity of 1.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per annum facilitating trade in the region. It has two berths with quay length of 710 meters, 6 Quay cranes, 15 RTG cranes, 2 weigh bridges, office cabins with EDI connectivity for Custom officials.
A third berth at the port is under construction and the group sought clearance for an additional quay length of 9,567 meters. It also seeks to develop barge berths for a quay length of 1,250 meters, 12 port crafts, and 2 SPMs. It also proposes land reclamation of 1145 hectares including land filling for an estimated 138 mm3. The construction phase alone would require 0.8 MLD (Millions of Liters Per Day) of water per day.
Water will be sourced from existing source for construction phase. 30 MLD capacity desalination plant will be constructed in modular manner for operation of the revised Master Plan. The source of water for this desalination plant is sea water. Process water for cryogenic facilities will be taken from sea and discharged back in to the sea.
Local residents have feared that the coastline would face soil erosion that would affect the water level in the city. A local fisherman feared that development would be affected in the area and nearby Pulicat Lake.
The local residents have petitioned a three-member Environment Assessment Committee, which visited the area recently.
