The State government has written to the Tamil Nadu government seeking assistance for the unhindered transportation of rocks for the Vizhinjam international seaport project, Minister for Ports Ahammad Devarkovil informed the Assembly on Monday.
Replying to questions in the House, Mr. Devarkovil said there were reports that some district collectors in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were preventing the passage of trucks laden with rocks meant for the construction of the breakwater for the port project.
An acute shortage of rocks and the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the progress of work on the port which had been awarded to the Adani Group, he noted. As per the agreement, the first phase should have been completed on December 3, 2019.
Although the Adani group had sought clearance for 19 quarries for sourcing rock, clearance was provided for only three. Obtaining environmental clearance has proved to be the chief hurdle in this regard, the Minister said. ''The Government is aiming to get the project completed as soon as possible,'' he said.
To a related question, Mr. Devarkovil said that all pleas for compensation in connection with the Vizhinjam project that were given the go-ahead by the Livelihood Impact Assessment Committee chaired by the RDO, Thiruvananthapuram, and an appeals committee headed by the district collector have been approved by the government.
The Government has so far spent Rs. 100 crore on the rehabilitation programme, he added.
