THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh may have promised that all would be hunky-dory for the Vizhinjam seaport project by May-end, but his Ministry has made a ‘’suggestion’’ that would undo all Kerala has done to spur the project on during the past five years. The Expert Appraisal Committee of the MoEF has suggested that Kerala should revise the techno-economic feasibility study for the Rs 6,000-crore project to prevent ‘’environment degradation’’ and ‘’unhealthy competition.’’ The committee, which had its 100th meeting in New Delhi on May 11 and 12, also found the proposed site for the port unsuitable. It has asked the State to study alternative sites. Reason - the present site is close to the Vizhinjam fisheries harbour and could have a ‘’negative impact’’ on fishing grounds. Setting aside the proposal for Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project a second time, the committee has asked the State to consider the observations it has made, develop a ‘’cargo distribution model,’’ revise the techno-economic feasibility study and re-submit the ToR proposal. These are some of the observations made by the committee: ‘’The present proposal may affect the smooth operation of the fishing harbour in the long run due to blocking of entrance by the movement of littoral drift which is predominantly towards south in the west coast. There will be negative impact on the fishing grounds during and after construction. The development may thus cause adverse impact on the fishing activity in and around the fisheries harbour thereby affecting the very livelihood of the fishing community. It is therefore necessary to study the location of nearby fishing ground and whether the beach is being used by local fishermen for landing their catch and if so, the number of people affected by the construction of the proposed facility within the close proximity of fishing harbour (social impact assessment).’’ Also, ‘’the proponent may examine the suitability of other locations away from the present location and revert back.’’ The first time that Kerala’s proposal was rejected was in last January. Then, the committee had reasoned that the mushrooming of ports in the southern coasts would cause environmental degradation. The observation has been repeated in the May meeting, with the committee stressing that a re-look at the project is necessary to prevent unhealthy competition between Vizhinjam and nearby ports such as Vallarpadam, Colachal, Chennai and Colombo. Says M Vijayakumar, who held the portfolio of Ports for most of the LDF tenure: ‘’This is a deliberate attempt to scuttle the project. The committee is speaking about things which do not come within its purview. We had studied the impact on fisheries.’’
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