KARWAR: The multipurpose all-weather port at Tadadi, near Gokarna in Uttara Kannada, planned by the Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation (KSSIDC), is no more a threat as the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has officially delisted it from the list of proposals. Interestingly, the credit goes to KSSIDC, which failed to submit relevant documents for forest clearance for the project.
A proposal to construct a huge multipurpose port at Tadadi, at the estuary of Aghanashini, would have affected thousands of livelihoods. The MoEFCC website now shows the status of the project as delisted.
This was communicated by the MoEFCC to KSSIDC in May 2020, saying, “The proposal mentioned was recommended by EAC-Infra-2 in its 12th meeting in December 2016, subject to submission of Stage 1 Forest Clearance.
Considering the pending submission of state forest clearance by Project proponent since the year 2016, the competent authority on May 8, 2020 has granted approval for delisting of the proposal.” Despite this communication, the department waited till May 20, 2020, to delist the project.The delisting has made locals and marine experts happy. “The estuarian port concept is no more relevant. It leads to annual silt accumulation. Modern ships need deep waters to anchor. The fishermen are saved,” said Paraksh Mesta, a marine expert.