Adani fails to keep Sep 1 date with Vizhinjam port
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 1 : Private multi-port operator Gautam Adani failed to keep his September 1 promise of berthing the first ship from the Vizhinjam Port, near here, on Saturday. A tremendous ammount of work still remains.
Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd (AVPPL) had on December 5, 2015 targeted September 1, 2018 to finish the first phase of the Kerala port.
Adani had said it would be operational in 1,000 days, which was Saturday.
The then Oommen Chandy government had inked the 2015 agreement for the international multi-purpose deepwater seaport project at a cost of Rs 7,525 crores. Adani Ports, which was the lone bidder had sought a Rs 1,635 crore grant for this.
Vizhinjam Mother Port Action Committee member Elias John said: "What has happened is the interest shown by the Chandy government is absent with the present government.
"If the things continue to proceed like this, they will be unable to even meet the 1,425 days deadline."
The delay is being attributed to a serious shortage of limestone required for building the breakwaters. Then there was Cyclone Ockhi which landed a huge beating in 2017 and took away 150 metres of the constructed breakwater.
According to the agreement, Adani would operate the port for 40 years, extendable by 20 more years, while the state government would get a portion of the revenue from the port after 15 years.
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Gehlot changes profile pic to 'Save Aravalli', asks Centre to reconsider definition
Jaipur (PTI): Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday urged the Centre to reconsider its definition of the Aravallis, warning that any damage to the mountain range posed a serious threat to the ecological future of north India.
Gehlot, a former Rajasthan chief minister, changed his social media profile picture in support of the nationwide 'SaveAravalli' campaign amid growing debate over mining and environmental safeguards in the Aravalli Range.
It was his symbolic protest against the new interpretation under which hills lower than 100 metres are no longer being recognised as part of the Aravalli system, he said.
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"The Aravalli cannot be judged by tape measures or height alone. It must be assessed by its ecological importance," Gehlot said, adding that the revised definition raised "a big question" over the future of north India.
Appealing to the Centre and the Supreme Court, Gehlot said the issue must be reconsidered in the interest of future generations and environmental security. He also urged citizens to participate in the campaign by changing their display pictures online to draw attention to the issue.
He said the Aravalli range functioned as a natural green wall against the expansion of the Thar desert and extreme heatwaves, protecting Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Opening up smaller hills and so-called gap areas for mining would allow desertification to advance rapidly, he warned.
Gehlot also flagged concerns over air pollution, saying the hills and forests of the Aravallis acted as the "lungs" of the National Capital Region by checking dust storms and absorbing pollutants.
"When pollution levels are so alarming even with the Aravalli standing, one can imagine how disastrous the situation will be without it," he said.
Highlighting the water crisis, the former chief minister said the rocky terrain of the Aravallis played a crucial role in groundwater recharge by channelising rainwater underground.
"If the hills are destroyed, drinking water shortages will intensify, wildlife will disappear and the entire ecology will be pushed into danger," he said.
Gehlot argued that, from a scientific perspective, the Aravallis was a continuous chain and that even smaller hillocks were as vital as higher peaks.
