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Expert team makes survey of Gopalpur port area

BERHAMPUR: A high-level expert committee made on-the-spot survey of Gopalpur port area to for the environmental clearance of the project.

This expert committee which reached the Gopalpur port on Wednesday comprised six members. The members of the committee included Director of Ministry of Environment, N.Prasad, Chief Conservator of Forests and regional head of the Ministry of Environment J.K. Tiwari, Director and Special Secretary of State Forest Department Bhagirathi Behera, senior geologist Manmohan Mohanty, Jagannath Bastia of Orissa Beach Protection Forum.

The team visited the port and the villages in its vicinity. The committee members held discussion with the port officials as well as the traditional fishermen living nearby.

The minor seasonal port at Gopalpur was earlier owned and run by the Orissa government. It is now being developed into an all weather mega port by the Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL). The GPL is a consortium of Orissa Stevedores Ltd. (OSL), Noble Group Ltd. of Hong Kong and Sara International Limited. The GPL plans to develop the port at a cost of over 2000 crore rupees. As per the plans the GPL proposes to construct a canal of two-km width and seven-km length in the sea to enable ships to anchor at this port.

According to sources, the members of the committee who came over for on the spot enquiry about environmental matters advised the GPL authorities to start developing a green belt near the port area immediately. They also advised the port officials not to release their waste water into the sea and to have facility for solid waste management in the port premises.

According to sources the report of this committee would decide the environmental clearance of this mega project which awaits this clearance from central government. The port officials also informed the committee about the social welfare measures they are to take up in the area as per their master plan prepared by IIT Chennai.

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