Vizhinjam port logo

VizhinjamPort.org

Work on Vizhinjam only after mandatory clearances are received - K. Babu


Posted on 28 Mar 2012

The State government will give permission to commence work on the International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vizhinjam only after all the mandatory clearances are received, Minister for Ports K. Babu has said.

Addressing reporters before launching the artificial reef off the Vizhinjam coast on Tuesday, the Minister said the ICTT was yet to get the environmental clearance although Welspun had been granted security clearance by the Union government.

The terms of reference for the Appraisal Committee had been fixed at the initiative of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy after the UDF came to power. The pre-monsoon and post-monsoon studies as part of environmental clearance were on, he said.

The Minister said the Cabinet was yet to decide on whether to accept the bid of Welspun or to undertake negotiation as it had demanded a grant of Rs.489 crore for 16 years. A sub-committee, comprising secretaries of Port, Finance, and Law and Managing Director of Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), a fully owned company of the State government, would go into the issue and bring it to the Empowered Committee headed by the Chief Secretary. He said the Cabinet would later decide on the report.

To a question, Mr. Babu said the previous LDF government had kicked off the project without getting environment clearance for the ICTT.

The Minister said a Rs.6-crore project had been submitted to the Union government for the development of the Vizhinjam fishing harbour.