The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has accorded environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance to the Rs 5,000-crore deepwater container transhipment port proposed to be set up at Vizhinjam near here.

The Ministry has granted the clearance to the project as per the provisions of Environment Impact Assessment Notification 2006 and CRZ Notification 2011 and its subsequent amendments subject to strict compliance of the terms and conditions.

As many as 29 specific conditions and 14 general conditions had been stipulated in the order issued by the Director (IA.III) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It has been officially communicated to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), the government entity overseeing the ambitious project.

Last month, the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry for projects relating to infrastructure development and Coastal Regulation Zone has recommended the accordance of environmental clearance for the project.

The expert committee had stipulated 17 conditions on the project proponent while recommending environmental clearance and the Ministry has accepted it while giving the mandatory nod.

The VISL has been directed to obtain “Consent for Establishment” of the project from the State Pollution Control Board under the Air and Water Act and a copy of the same should be submitted to the Ministry before the start of any construction work on the site.

The VISL has been directed to carry out intensive monitoring of the shoreline changes that the construction of the port might lead to and report the details to the Ministry every six months.

The capital dredged material should be used for the reclamation of berths. The project proponent should compensate, as per Central and State government norms, the owners of the tourist resorts in the project area who would have to be evicted.

The project should be executed in such a manner as to cause minimum disturbance to the fishing activity in the area. The VISL had been asked to develop a new fish-landing centre, besides executing the commitments it had given in its proposal with respect to the detailed Resettlement Action Plan and Corporate Social Responsibility. The CSR activities should cover 10 km radius of the project.

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