T’puram: The Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) has demanded a time-bound inquiry into alleged administrative lapses and conflicting official submissions concerning the expansion of Vizhinjam International Seaport, following the high court’s interim order halting construction at Pulinkudy beach over questions about environmental clearances.In a statement, TCCI said the developments raised serious concerns about administrative negligence, inadequate coordination among govt departments and conflicting official positions presented before the court. It urged the state govt to establish the facts, fix responsibility and initiate disciplinary or legal action if negligence or deliberate misrepresentation was established.The high court on Sunday directed Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL) to temporarily stop construction at Pulinkudy beach, south of the port, after it found that the necessary environmental clearances for the work had not been demonstrated before it.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M noted that there was ambiguity regarding the construction being undertaken by VISL and Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd. The court referred to a counter-affidavit filed by the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA), which stated that the work at Pulinkudy was neither part of VISL’s existing or proposed master plan nor specified in the environmental clearance issued by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.Observing that further construction could affect the coastal environment if the requisite clearances had not been obtained, the court ordered a joint inspection under the supervision of the Union environment ministry, in the presence of the petitioner and all respondents. It also directed the ministry to file an affidavit clarifying whether the construction had obtained all statutory clearances, along with supporting documents. The case has been posted to Nov 25.The interim order has brought regulatory compliance concerning the port’s capacity augmentation into focus, with the authorities required to clarify the approvals covering the disputed work before the next hearing.
