The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal has allowed the Kerala Government to go ahead with tenders for the Vizhinjam international seaport and container terminal project.
Official sources said the tribunal made the observation while hearing an appeal challenging the environmental clearance given to the project by the UPA-2 Government.
Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL), the company that is piloting the project, may proceed with the tender procedures initiated by it to select a port operator.
Meanwhile, the tribunal has posted the next hearing in the case against the project to July 1, sources said.
5 in fray A consortium of South Korean business conglomerate Hyundai and Indian steel industry player Concast is among the five port operators who have responded to the global tender.
The other four are Gammon Infrastructure, Essar Ports, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone and a consortium of Spanish construction firm Obrascon Huarte Lain and Srei Infrastructure.
VISL had earlier called for Requests for Qualification (RFQ) to build the port superstructure and operate the proposed deepwater port and container transhipment terminal.
The same five players have responded to the other RFQ for engineering, procurement and construction works floated separately.
Deadline for the first tender (building superstructure and operating the port) was March 10, while the last date for the second tender was June 30.
Appeal admitted In March, the Green Tribunal had admitted an appeal challenging the clearances and issued notices to the Centre and State government, Kerala State Pollution Control Board, and VISL.
The appeal sought to know if there was any procedural lapse on the part of the authorities in giving clearance for the project.
The bench, comprising Justice M Chockalingam and expert member R Nagendran, had noted that the appeal had raised an important question concerning the environment.
Appellants A Joseph Vijayan and P Michael, social workers, and fisherman P Christopher, had challenged the environmental clearance and coastal regulation zone clearance for the port.
They had argued that fishermen and their families in the neighbourhood of the proposed port were affected by shoreline changes triggered by structures put up along the foreshore and construction of port structures.