No new port projects or expansion, says Ramesh

The government will not accept any new proposal for setting up ports or expansion of existing projects along the country’s fragile coastline till a policy to regulate their activities is evolved, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said.

Ramesh said his ministry had also imposed a three-month moratorium on proposals it had received for new ports or harbour besides expansion of existing project and asked the Ministry of Earth Science to initiate a study on cumulative impact of the existing projects.

The move is part of the recommendations of the four-member panel headed by scientist MS Swaminathan which said “the government must immediately study the cumulative impact of the individual projects on the coast line, pending which there should be a moratorium on expansion of existing ports and initiation of new projects along the coast.”

The moratorium was issued on August 21. “Based on wide ranging suggestions of the committee, the ministry has decided to evolve a policy for consideration of projects along the coast and particularly the activities relating to the ports, harbours, jetties and expansion of such activities,” Ramesh said.

The projects that have been recommended by Expert Appraisal Committee till July 2009 will be processed on merit while decision will be deferred on proposals received after that till October when the study will be completed, a senior environment official said, adding that till then, no new proposal will be accepted.

The committee noted that already many of the infrastructure projects have caused significant shoreline changes as in Ennore (Tamil Nadu), Puducherry, Alibag (Maharashtra), Digha (West Bengal) and Dahej (Gujarat) and underlined the need to ensure greater right of fisherfolk in the coastal areas.

It pointed out that there is little information of their cumulative impact on the coastline.