THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The final environmental clearance for the rail project connecting Vizhinjam International Seaport to Balaramapuram station has been deferred by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
EAC has asked Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited to conduct further studies with the help of a reputable institute before taking further action. This is the second time in a year that the EAC has deferred approval due to a lack of required studies.
The EAC has noted that vibration studies for the railway line stretch passing underground through the habitation area have not been conducted and that the alignment has an overburden of only 10m at several places.
The rail connectivity to Vizhinjam port, which was scheduled to begin in June, will now face further delays due to this decision.
“The viability of the port is already being questioned, and this delay will further hinder the rail connectivity to Vizhinjam port,” said AJ Vijayan, a petitioner against the seaport project at National Green Tribunal. The project is expected to take 42 months to complete after approval.
The 10.70 km rail project passes through Balaramapuram, Pallichal, Athiyannur, and Vizhinjam in Neyyattinkara tehsil. Initially, the project was planned as an elevated structure and obtained environmental clearance in 2014.