The Supreme Court on Wednesday paved the way for resumption of hearing before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on pleas seeking withdrawal of environment clearance granted to the Vizhinjam Port Project, developed by the Adani Group in Thiruvananthapuram.
A Bench, including Chief Justice TS Thakur , lifted its stay on the proceedings before the green panel and asked it to hear the cases and dispose them within six weeks. The court, which kept the pleas pending before it, also made it clear that there would neither be "any adjournments" nor would the panel pass any interim orders till it finally decides the matters. The direction came on the appeals filed by Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL) and the Kerala government against a decision of the NGT.
The NGT had rejected the contention challenging its power and held it has all trappings of a "Court" as the distinction between a court and a tribunal was getting thinner day by day. The Tribunal's order
had come on two sets of petitions filed before the NGT, demanding withdrawal of environment clearance given to the Vizhinjam Port Project and the second one challenging the 2011 coastal regulation zone notification.