Supreme Court appoints panel to look into Chennai Port coal ban

12 APR, 2012, SANJAY VIJAYAKUMAR, ET BUREAU
CHENNAI: The Supreme Court has appointed a special committee to look into the ban on the key business of coal handling by the Chennai Port Trust, a top port official has said.

The committee has been given time till July to look into the matter and give a recommendation.

Atulya Misra, Chairman, Chennai Port Trust, said this was in response to the Special Review petition his organisation had filed against the ban, which came into effect around the middle of last year.

The Madras High Court had then banned the handling of the polluting coal at the Chennai Port, which finds itself within city limits. This has since cause a fall in volumes handled by the port and forced it to mull cleaner alternatives for the future such as cruise tourism and setting up of an LNG terminal.

The court appointed committee is made up of the Shipping Secretary, Environment Secretary, Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, members from the Central Pollution Control Board, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, IIT Madras and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute.