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National
Environment Research Institute (NEERI) Report
Initial
Environment Examination
In
February, 1997, the Ministry of Surface Transport made the
Tuticorin Port Trust (TPT) as Nodal Agency for the project and
subsequently the National Environment Engineering Research
Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, was appointed by MoST in July, 1997
to prepare an Initial Environment Examination (IEE) of the
project. NEERI commended their IEE study in March 1998 and
submitted their Report in December 1998. The IEE study report
indicated that the project is environmentally safe with
negligible effect on the ecosystem and the Marine National Park
of the Gulf of Mannar. The report also recommended a particular
alignment of the canal cutting the Pamban Island, east of
Kodandaramasamy temple,
which would cause least damage to the biodata and the
environment.
As
concluded in the IEE study, the Sethusamudram Ship Channal
Project falls under category ‘A’ of the World Bank
Classification requiring full scale Environment Assessment. The
MoS again designated TPT as Nodal Agency for conducting
techno-economic and comprehensive EIA studies for Sethusamudram
Ship Channel Project (SSCP). As per instruction of MoS in March
2001 TPT went in for Global tenders for
(i)
Establishing techno economic viability and
(ii)
Environment impact assessment
Subsequently
as per the directive from the Ministry in February 2002, the
above studies were enstructed to NEERI.
NEERI
submitted their first report on Rapid EIA in October 2002 on
existing status of Environment suggesting a viable of the
Channel. NEERI have also projected a fresh scenario of dredging
the Channel to only 7m depth with its economic gains, number of
transit per annum etc. worked out by the shipping Corporation of
India. The rough cost for dredging to 7m depth was indicated by
NEERI as Rs.200 crores resulting in a saving of Rs.68 crores in
bunkering and ship time per annum. NEERI presented the 7-m depth
scenario with the Channel alignment further shifted eastwards to
cut the Adam’s Bridge to start with and suggesting to take up
the project in phases.
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