The southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) will on Friday take up the petitions filed before it seeking the withdrawal of environmental clearance given to the Vizhinjam seaport project.
Initially, three persons belonging to Thiruvananthapuram had filed a petition alleging that the project would destroy the biodiversity of the coast.
According to the petitioners - A Joseph Vijayan, Christopher and Michael - adequate studies were not conducted on the multi-crore port project’s impact on the coast. It is understood that a few other petitions too have been filed subsequently before the Tribunal in Chennai.
The Tribunal had also served notices on the State Govt, the Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd and the State Pollution Control Board on said petitions. While giving environment clearance to the project in Dec last year, the MoEF had said that objections could be filed before the Green Tribunal.
The Bench in Chennai had originally posted the case for April 25 but postponed it to May 2. Five entities have been shortlisted by Govt for construction and operation of the proposed port- Adani Group, Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd, a consortium of Hyundai and Concast Infratech Ltd, ESSAR Ports and a consortium of Srei Infrastructure and OHL. ENS