Adani group welcomes NGT nod to Vizhinjam project

Adani group today hailed National Green Tribunal's decision to uphold environment and other clearances granted to the multi-crore Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd, being developed by the company in Thiruvananthapuram in collaboration with Kerala government.
"The Adani Group welcomes the National Green Tribunal's decision to uphold environment and coastal regulatory zone clearances granted to the Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd and subsequent dismissal of various appeals challenging the statutory approvals," Gautam Adani-led group said in a statement.
It said the group company Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) looks forward to work closely with the committee for preservation of the environment as directed by the tribunal.

"The committee will monitor the construction of the port and submit a report every six months during the project execution stage," the statement said.
It said the construction is in full swing and it is "confident of completing the international transshipment project within stipulated timeframe of 1,000 days."
It said APSEZ will take utmost care and responsibility to protect the environment at Vizhinjam while the project is under execution.

"We won the mandate from the Kerala government to build an international container transhipment port at Vizhinjam, near the state capital Thiruvananthapuram," it said.
The National green Tribunal today gave its go-ahead to the construction of the multi-crore Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL), being developed by Kerala government in collaboration with Adani Group, saying it was crucial for economic development of the country.

The green panel, which refused to quash the environment clearance granted to the seaport, constituted an expert committee of seven members to look into compliance of conditions of environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance granted by the Environment Ministry.
It also gave a free hand to the committee to impose additional conditions in addition those in the environmental and CRZ clearances in the interest of the protecting environment and ecology.
APSEZ in July last year had received Kerala government's nod for developing the Rs 4,089-crore Vizhinjam International Deepwater Seaport project.