Amid the concerns raised by the various stakeholders on the impact of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, a public hearing on the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of the second and third phases of the project was held here on Wednesday.
Though outfits like the Thiruvananthapuram Matsyathozhilali Forum, under the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, opposed the public hearing, citing a lack of transparency in the proceedings, the public hearing was peaceful, with fishermen, their representatives, people’s representatives, and church authorities taking part in the event headed by District Collector Geromic George.
Speaking to The Hindu, Dyson Yesudas, vicar of Pulluvila Forane, said the hasty proceedings called on short notice without providing adequate time to study the draft report were not aimed at allaying the concerns of the affected people. “However, we raised our apprehensions with them, like the ecological impact of the project on the coastline, where fish diversity and coral reefs were already affected, apart from the shortage of potable water in many areas in affected villages,” said the vicar.
“We are still not sure of the extent of the shipping channel, which is likely to be a no-entry zone for traditional fishermen. Despite the repeated requests, the authorities have not yet disclosed all such details, he alleged. However, he maintained that raising these issues doesn’t mean that the fishermen and church are against the project. We are asking to address these concerns of local people after taking them into confidence,” he added.
As part of the public hearing, the authorities explained the master plan of the project before recording their grievances and concerns. The Latin Archdiocese members, who had also taken the stance that the second and third phases should begin only after resolving the concerns raised by the fishing community, argued that there would be an environmental impact on the coastal area from Vizhinjam to Pozhiyoor due to the construction of the second and third phases.
The main parts of the project areas are Vizhinjam and Kottukal as per the master plan. Adequate compensation should be given to fishermen in different areas of coastal regions before undertaking the next phase of work. Meanwhile, the members of the Janakiya Samiti from Mukkola who took a stance in favour of the port right from the beginning, demanded that the next phases of the port be undertaken at the earliest by giving environmental clearance.
Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL) had earlier submitted a draft of the environmental impact report to the Pollution Control Board as part of the master plan for the development of the next phases. The public hearing was convened to record the opinion of the public on the report. A final report is expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The port developer, Adani Group, is hopeful of getting environmental clearance in three months.