THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Objections to the Vizhinjam port project have scant relevance now, Ports Minister K Babu said, responding to the protest planned by the Sasthra Sahitya Parishath. The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted and the process approved by the expert appraisal committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Babu said.
‘’As far as the government is concerned, the environment clearance has been secured for the project,’’ he said. The Parishath was free to air its opinion, but it had no relevance at present, he said.
The EIA was conducted over a period of one-and-a-half years by L&T-Ramboll, and the mandatory public hearing was held at Vizhinjam on June 29, 2013.
The expert appraisal committee (of the MoEF) had cleared the report in December that year.