Karnataka HC disposes of PIL against Honnavar port project

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday disposed of a public interest litigation challenging the Honnavar port project at Kasarkod Tonka in Uttara Kannada district.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi observed that the question regarding the location of a port depends on various factors, including the necessity of a port, and said it is for the experts to determine the location and its requirements.

The petition was filed by Honnavara Taluk Hasimeenu Vyaparasthara Sangha. One of the grounds raised by the petitioner was that the project falls within the ‘turtle nesting ground’. In July 2021 the court had directed the state government to appoint National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai, to ascertain whether any part of the area of Honnavar Port Expansion Project is within the ‘turtle nesting ground’.

The bench perused the report submitted by NCSCM and noted from the report that no nest, turtles or carcass were found during the survey of the entire 45 hectares area of the proposed site.

“We are of the considered view that the respondents here have obtained all the necessary approvals, sanctions and permissions from all the concerned authorities while undertaking the construction of the port in question,” the bench said. The court also pointed out the survey carried out by the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada district. The report said that no excess land was used for the project.

Since the approval granted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority is an appealable order, the bench granted liberty to the petitioner to raise the grievance before Principal Secretary to PWD.