The Hindu Business Line : Kolkata Port's Hooghly river proposal gets eco nod

Kolkata Port Trust's River Regulatory (RR) Scheme designed to improve the navigability of the Hooghly river near Haldia dock has received the environment clearance from the West Bengal Government.

"The EIA (environment impact assessment) study for RR Scheme, as prepared by the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology, has been approved by the State Government," Mr M.L. Meena, Secretary, Environment Department, West Bengal Government, told Business Line here on Wednesday.

"It is now for the Kolkata port authorities to pursue the project subject to the approval of the Union Government," Mr Meena said.

It might be recalled that Mr Meena, as the then Deputy Chairman of Haldia Dock Complex, had been responsible, among others, for the formulation of the RR Scheme as early as 2000.

The RR Scheme has several components such as massive dredging in the Hooghly river near Haldia dock, construction of "groin" (sort of protective wall) in the Rangafella channel of the river and construction of 10-km long southern guidewall in the river from the southern tip of the Nayachara Island in the river.

According to the original scheme, an estimated 10 million cubic metres of silt had to be dredged from the river by excavating at Balari bar a channel, which would be 10-km long and 500 metres wide.

However, the original scheme could not be implemented for various reasons. As a result, the scope of work, as outlined in the original scheme, it is felt, has changed. Most important, the sedimentation has increased, requiring dredging of much larger volume than originally estimated. Meanwhile, increased sedimentation is believed to have threatened the number one oil jetty of Haldia dock.

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