The Ministry of Environment and Forests has finally cleared the Terms of Reference for conducting the Environment Impact Assessment for the multi-crore Vizhinjam Seaport Project.
Earlier, the committee had rejected the ToR application of the state twice this year. The state ports minister said that Kerala had been at great pains during the past week to get the ToR cleared.
In January, the MoEF committee had blamed Kerala for providing a vague proposal for getting the ToR cleared. With multiple port projects planned all along the southern coastline of the country, extreme care was necessary for preventing environmental degradation.
The committee rejected the proposal a second time for possible impact on the fisheries in the area. The committee also urged Kerala to conduct a fresh techno-economic feasibility study to ensure that Vizhinjam stood a fair chance against the other ports coming up in the area.
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