Dredging work at Muthalapozhi harbour to give the navigation channel necessary depth did not take place as promised on Monday.
At a high-level meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on July 31, in which three ministers including fisheries minister Saji Cherian were present, it was agreed that Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL) will resume the dredging of sand from August 1.
However, the AVPPL said that it did not have the right crane to begin the work. Before dredging begins, the rocks and tetrapods that had slipped into the water channel between the two parallel breakwaters have to be removed. The tyre-mounted crane at the AVPPL's Vizhinjam site is not suitable to remove the rocks at Muthalapozhi harbour.
"Had they told us during the meeting yesterday that they had only a tyre-mounted crane, we would have told them right away that it was not suitable," said Harbour Engineering Department executive engineer, Anil Kumar. Only a crane that moves on chain covered tyres, like in armoured tanks, can be used on Muthalapozhi's terrain.
Nontheless, the AVPPL has placed an order for a chain-tyre crane in Nagercoil. "The machine will arrive here tomorrow (Tuesday). We hope to begin the work by noon tomorrow," the HED executive engineer said.
The driver for the crane has also been arranged by the harbour Engineering Department.
Under an MoU signed with the Harbour Engineering Department (HED) in 2018, it is AVPPL's responsibility to dredge the 'navigation channel' and maintain its depth at 5 metres till 2024 May. The rocks that had slipped into the navigation channel should also have been removed by the AVPPL.
Neither dredging nor the removal of rocks was not carried out by the Adani Group after 2021. Result: Sand brought in by both the sea and the lake is piling up on top of the rocks, increasing the viciousness of the waves and risk to motorised fishing boats. The estuary mouth had consumed the lives of 68 fishermen in the last decade. Four had lost their lives on a single day on July 10 this year.
The negligence of the Adani Group had earlier forced the HED to float tenders for the removal of boulders. The contractor who won the tender has refused to start work citing monsoon-related difficulties.
At the meeting on August 31, the Adani Group was once again told of its obligations and its representatives agreed to remove the boulders. The removal of rocks will take at least three weeks. So dredging proper will begin only next month.
