EAC’s nod for Puducherry minor port plan

A proposal of the Puducherry government to upgrade the minor port at Uppalam under the Sagarmala scheme has been recommended for environmental and CRZ clearance by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, reports The Hindu.

The Port Department of the Puducherry Government had applied for Environmental and CRZ clearance to undertake capital dredging and construction of a barrier between the drainage channel and navigation channel as part of the first phase of work.

According to The Hindu, dredging works on the channel will help fishermen as it will allow them to get sufficient draft to bring their boats at all times into the fishing harbor that shares a common entrance with the commercial minor port.

This proposal would also generate funds for the Government of Puducherry in terms of lease rent and lead to productive use of space.

Recommending the Environmental and CRZ clearances, the EAC also stipulated a number of conditions including compliance and continuous monitoring of marine ecology and marine biodiversity.