EIA study by July, but hurdles remain

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second half of 2012 will prove critical for the Vizhinjam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) project. The three-season Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project will be completed in July. Before the port can come up on the 110 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea, the EIA report has to be published and public hearings held. Next, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has to give its nod. Only then can the port construction commence. “The social impact, impact on the Vizhinjam fisheries harbour and shoreline, wave patterns etc come under the ambit of the EIA. Once EIA clearance is obtained, we would be able to award the contract for port construction. We expect to complete the EIA by July and hold the public hearing by August,’’ said Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL) CEO AS Suresh Babu. Last year, Kerala had a hard time getting the MoEF clear the terms of reference (ToR) for performing the EIA. In January, the MoEF appraisal committee rejected the ToR application. It observed that mushrooming of ports on the southern coasts could lead to environmental degradation. The committee also remarked that the ToR application “does not appear to have been prepared in a professional way - very casually done without understanding its importance’’.  Again in May, the committee set aside the ToR application a second time. It asked the state to revise the techno-economic feasibility study to prevent “environment degradation’’ and “unhealthy competition’’ among ports.     It found the location unsuitable and recommended scrutiny for alternative sites. The proposed site’s proximity to the Vizhinjam fisheries harbour could harm fishing grounds, the MoEF committee noted. In June, the committee gave a conditional clearance to the ToR, but wanted to know why Kerala had selected that particular site for the project. Later, the UDF Government obtained clearance for the required ‘site-specific’ ToR from the Centre.