The environment and forest ministry?s three-month embargo on clearances for all port projects came in for fresh flak on Thursday when Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi expressed his unhappiness about the embargo in his meeting with Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. With Gujarat having the longest maritime border among Indian states, Modi said the ban would impact the state?s economic growth.
Apart from the major port of Kandla, Gujarat is home to 26 minor ports. The three-month embargo on clearing port development projects was imposed by the environment ministry in August. The ministry based its decision on the MS Swaminathan committee suggestion for immediately studying the cumulative impact of individual projects on the coastline, pending which there should be a moratorium on expansion of existing ports and initiation of new projects along the coast.
?Modi raised serious objections during a meeting with Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, saying the ban would impact the state?s economic growth,? a report stated. Modi was in the capital to discuss the state?s annual plan.
The Shipping ministry had already expressed dissent over the embargo earlier this week. Shipping secretary APVN Sarma said his ministry would be taking up matter with the Cabinet. The ports ministry was to award 20 port expansion projects this year, six of which were part of its 100-day agenda. But the moratorium has rendered its plans a non-starter and left its 100-day report card largely empty.
The environment ministry has conducted a satellite imagery survey of India?s coastline and is currently analysing the quick results of the survey. It plans to withhold clearances for any projects proposed in the hot spots identified by the satellite survey.
The Swaminathan panel noted that already many infrastructure projects 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 fisher folk in the coastal areas.