EAC defers ToR for Bhavanapadu Port in AP; Seeks more info

The EAC said the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board (APMB), the project proponent which submitted the application for the grant of ToR, however, made no description about an alternate site. A fishing harbour was locatedin the close proximity of the proposed site anddetails regarding the distance between the two, the site's capacity and other techno-economical details have not beenprovided, it observed.

An Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Environment Ministry has deferred the Andhra Pradesh government's proposal seeking clearance to prepare Terms of Reference (ToR) for its proposed Rs 3670 crore greenfield seaport, seeking more information. According to the minutes of the meeting of the EAC, the AP government was planning to develop the all-weather, deep water, multipurpose port at an estimated cost of Rs 3670 crore at Bhavanapadu in Srikakulam district.

The meeting of the EAC, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, was held during the last week of September. The EAC said the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board (APMB), the project proponent which submitted the application for the grant of ToR, however, made no description about an alternate site.

A fishing harbor was located nearby of the proposed site and details regarding the distance between the two, the site's capacity, and other techno-economical details have not been provided, it observed. "The site is falling in the zone of high erosion, therefore, before granting of ToR, a study should be conducted on the suitability of the site w.r.t (concerning)high erosion zone," the EAC said.

"Accordingly, the EAC deferred the proposal for want of the above-mentioned information," it added. The AP government contended the proposed project will have a positive impact on the social and economic development of the region by ensuring overall improvement in living standards through the creation of new direct and indirect jobs and an increase in the volume of general trade.

It will usher in a general improvement in an infrastructural facility with better transport and communication network, the state government said. "It is estimated that this project will generate 10,000 direct and indirect jobs," the government's proposal said.

The trees that will be felled in the project location will be relocated with necessary permission from competent authority, the APMB said.