Ernakulam District Collector M.G. Rajamanickam on Tuesday informed the Kerala High Court that the district administration had not received any proposal from the GCDA for setting up a logistics centre by the side of the Vallarpadam Container Terminal road.
In an affidavit, the Collector said that the GCDA was yet to submit a detailed project report on the subject. It was essential to verify whether the proposed land for the logistics centre would come within the purview of the CRZ Rules, Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wet Land Act 2008, or there was any other statutory prohibition. A concrete opinion could be offered only after getting the report.
Since the project was still awaiting the government approval, he could offer his opinion only after the government gave its approval. If the project was found viable, the district administration had no objection in going ahead with the project by the GCDA.
Filed in a suo motu case
The affidavit was filed in a suo motu case initiated on the basis of a letter written by Justice P.N. Ravindran of the High Court. In his letter, the judge had highlighted the two tragic road accidents in a row that had taken place on the container road. The judge had pointed out that newspaper reports had attributed the cause of the accidents to the unscientific parking of heavy vehicles such as containers by the side of the road.
The court adjourned the hearing in the case till June 29.
