The Kerala State Commission for Minorities on Saturday said that the State government departments responsible for taking the necessary steps to implement the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the government with Adani Ports in 2018 for deepening the mouth of Muthalapozhi harbour in order to resolve the recurring accidents at the harbour, failed to deliver.
This is evident in the reports submitted by the authorities in the special sitting held at the commissionโs headquarters. The sitting was held as part of collecting evidence in a case registered as suo motu by the commission following the recurrent accidents in Muthalapozhi, said the commission.ย Adani Ports mainly depended on Muthalapozhi harbour mainly for supplying the materials required for the construction of the Vizhinjam International Seaport.
As part of this, Adani Ports has renewed the MoU with the government twice, but till date, the relevant departments have not been able to enter into an agreement, evaluate whether the terms of the MoU are being followed, or include more conditions, the commission pointed out. Reports also indicated that the Adani Ports authorities conducted dredging at Muthalapozhi only to ensure the smooth entry of their barge containing construction materials required for the construction of the port.
The commission also expressed strong displeasure over the laxity of various agencies, which failed to take action despite several requests to them to submit a report on the actions taken on the expert committee reports submitted by various agencies to solve the issues at Muthalapozhi. The commission also gave the authorities a last chance to submit a detailed report on July 20. Officials representing the Fisheries and Port departments, the Harbour Engineering Department (HED), the Coastal Police, the District Collector, and Adani Ports were present at the sitting.
