THIRUVANATHAPURAM: With Union Forests and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh promising that the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Vizhinjam port project will cleared by May-end, the new Ports Minister will have his work cut down on one count.The delay in getting the ToR approved was one of the major hurdles in completing the initial works for the project.Jairam Ramesh on Friday said the ToR will be approved by May 31. He told reporters in New Delhi after a meeting with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy that for the past four years, the State Government had dithered in forming the state-level EIA Authority which led to all projects being referred to the MoEF.Although the seabed survey for the approximately Rs 6,000-crore project has been completed, the government had not succeeded in getting the ToR for EIA cleared by the Centre. The EIA has to be conducted over three seasons, including the southwest monsoon period.In January 2011, the MoEF had rejected the proposal submitted by Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL), the state government company overseeing the project. The expert appraisal committee of the MoEF also said that ‘’haphazard and piecemeal growth of container terminals all along the coast’’ could speed up environmental degradation.The committee had suggested that a study be undertaken keeping in mind the global scenario in container traffic and the apportioning of that traffic among the new terminals. The LDF government had interpreted this as an attempt to scuttle the project by favouring upcoming port projects in Colachal and Tuticorin in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Thiruvananthapuram, according to the committee, fell in the high erosion zone and a satellite survey-based report on shoreline changes was also asked for.With regards to the Vizhinjam project, the new Ports Minister of the State will be faced with the task of finalising the deal with the consortium of banks for funding the project and appointing the private partner for the project.
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