Puthuvype stir: Kerala environment panel collects evidence

KOCHI: The Environment Committee of the Legislative Assembly held a hearing of various stakeholders involved in the row over the upcoming IOC LPG plant at Puthuvype at the collectorate here on Tuesday. 
Headed by Mullakkara Ratnakaran, the committee collected evidence from the representatives of the protesting people, top IOC officers and officers of other departments.The protesters told the committee the upcoming plant was affecting the livelihood of fishers and impinging on the peaceful lives of people in its vicinity. IOC representatives deposing before the committee said the plant was being constructed after ensuring all security parameters and there was no ground for panic.

Protesters’ side
K S Murali, the leader of the protesters, told the committee the project was ill-suited for ecologically sensitive areas like Puthuvype. He said the Coastal Zone Management Authority, in its report to the government in 2015, had made it clear construction activities at Puthuvype were detrimental to the area’s biodiversity. “IOC has been propagating false campaigns and advertisements to mislead the people and illiterate fishermen. With the commissioning of an LPG terminal, fish production already took a beating in the region,” said Charles George, the representative of fishermen in the area.

He said IOC violated the environmental norm which said the project be located at least 25 km away from the residential area where three lakh people live. The leaders said as LPG tanks above ground were being replaced with underground storage in developed countries, IOC authorities here had been going ahead with a similar project. Since the project can fill 500 tankers at a given point of time, the operation of the plant will create several environmental issues, affecting the people’s health, they said.

IOC version
IOC representatives told the committee commissioning of the plant will considerably reduce the accidents involving LPG tankers on the roads. The plant will also put an end to LPG shortage and find a solution to the rising consumption of LPG in the state, the officers said. “By 2022, around 95 per cent of the state’s household will be switched to LPG.

Refinery modernisation alone can meet the rising demand. Further, the plant has received approval from the Cochin Port Trust, the government’s State Appraisal Committee, the Kerala Pollution Control Board, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation and the Centre for Earth Science Studies,” they said. They said around 30 per cent of the project’s cost was earmarked to strengthen the safety apparatus. “The project will be under 24-hour camera surveillance. Around 13 LPG import terminals are situated along the 7,500-km coastal area of the country. No agency or authority has ever taken a stand against the project so far. IOC has complied with all the safety laws,” the representatives said.

Final decision after scrutiny
S Sarma MLA said a final decision on the matter will be taken after scrutinising all the aspects. “The project is a Union Government initiative and the High Court has ordered round-the-clock security for the same. A special committee appointed by the state government is studying the impact of the project and a decision on the matter will be taken only after considering the apprehensions associated with the project and the study report,” he said. The committee also directed IOC to submit a study report, if any, with regard to setting up of a plant in a residential area and fishing sector.

The project will be under 24-hour camera surveillance. Around 13 LPG import terminals are situated along the 7,500-km coastal area of the country. No agency or authority has ever taken a stand against the project so far. IOC has complied with all the safety laws -Assembly panel

IOC has been propagating false campaigns and advertisements to mislead the people and illiterate fishermen. With the commissioning of LPG terminal, fish production already took a beating in the region. -Charles George, fishermen’s  representative of fishermen

Assembly panel visits Puthuvype

Kochi: Assembly Committee on Environment chairman Mullakkara Ratnakaran MLA said the committee will submit its report on only after studying the issue regarding the protest against LPG terminal at Puthuvype from human perspective. Mullakkara Ratnakaran also visited the project site along with other members after the hearing held at the Collectorate Conference Hall in Kakkanad. “There are apprehensions among the people regarding the environmental impact of the terminal. All their apprehensions have to be alleviated or addressed effectively.

The IOC officers claim they are constructing the terminal complying with all the safety aspects. All the claims will be subjected to scrutiny and information would be gathered from those who have scientifically studied the issue, including Chennai IIT. All these points will be taken into account before drafting the final report of the committee, he said.