The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the Vizhinjam seaport project will come up before the Ministry of Environment and Forests’ (MoEF) Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on September 21.
The State Government had submitted the Environment Impact Assessment report and related documents, running into approximately 4,000 pages, towards August-end for obtaining environment clearance for the project.
“We have submitted all the documents required by the MoEF. The EAC will consider the matter on September 21, we have been told,” Ports Minister K Babu said.
According to him, Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor had intervened on the state’s behalf to speed up things.
It is expected that the state will be informed about the MoEF decision within 105 days.
In fact, the Ports Department and government company Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd are keeping their fingers crossed as the future of the prestigious project hinges on the MoEF decision.
Phase I of the three-phase International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) project is expected to cost Rs 6,000 crore.
After failing to land a private operator to run the port for the third time last year, the State Government had decided to construct the port first and then search for a private partner to run it.
“Once we get the environment clearance, we will immediately float the EPC tenders (Engineering, Procurement and Construction tenders) globally,” the Ports Minister said.
A three-season study in Mulloor and Vizhinjam regions preceded the preparation of the EIA report. The Kerala State Pollution Control Board had also organised a mandatory public hearing on the EIA report in Vizhinjam on June 29.