Green tribunal dismisses plea against IOC's LPG terminal at Puthuvypeen.

The National Green Tribunal on Friday dismissed the application of the LPG Virudha Samara Samithi against Indian Oil Corporation’s LPG import terminal at Puthuvypeen near here.

In the application, the leaders of the Samara Samithi, wanted the tribunal to direct IOCL not to implement the project. However, the tribunal refused to countenance the demand.

The tribunal found no substance in the allegation that the project posed safety threats to the residents of the area.

It was also alleged in the application that the project site is closer to the High Tide Line than envisaged under the environmental clearance. Based on the submissions made before it, the Tribunal set aside these arguments as well.

The tribunal upheld Indian Oil’s contention that storage of LPG is a permitted activity at the seashore under the CRZ norms and hence the project does not in any way offend those norms. However, the tribunal has observed that the company may undertake sea protection measures to arrest erosion at the project site, a statement said.

With this, IOC has overcome all the legal hurdles to the project. Earlier, the tribunal had also dismissed the Samara Samithi’s appeal against the extension of environmental clearance to the project.

Samara Samithi preferred an appeal before the apex court against this. The Supreme Court, however, dismissed the appeal even without admitting the same.

Though there was no stay against developing the project, the Samara Samithi had been obstructing the development of the project for more than 10 months now. Indian Oil is stated to have suffered a loss of ₹1 crore per day on account of the delay.

The project was conceived to meet the increasing demand for LPG in the country. For now, the oil major is transporting LPG by road in bulk LPG carrier trucks from a similar facility at Mangaluru.

HBL