Mumbai: Bombay HC will hear a PIL as a test case to determine whether grievances raised in it are related to the National Green Tribunal or should be heard by it.

A division bench of Justice V M Kanade and Justice F M Reis on Tuesday heard a plea by Parshuram Uparkar, an ex-MLC, challenging the authority of the Maharashtra Maritime Board to allot wharfs to a private party for setting up a multipurpose jetty near Aronda village in Terakhol creek in Sawantwadi.

Adani Ports and SEZ (APSEZ) has sought fresh approval from the government for 1,840 hectare multi-product special economic zone, which was denotified in October due to non-conformity with SEZ rules.

"We have sought permission for a new SEZ and have made several representations to the government. We hope to get the approval in the present quarter itself," APSEZ's Chief Financial Officer B Ravi said. Government sources said meanwhile that the Board of Approval (BoA), the apex body for SEZs, has not yet taken up the matter.

PSU firm prefers to export the product board to take up the matter in its next meeting

After its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh was shut due to lack of bauxite, now operations at Vedanta’s aluminium smelter in Odisha have been hit by shortage of alumina. Time and again, Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) has asked National Aluminium Company Limited ( Nalco), which has surplus alumina, to sell it the commodity at a premium, but in vain. B L Bagra, director (finance) of Nalco, confirmed VAL had offered to pay a premium over Nalco’s export price. However, he added the company’s strategy was to export alumina. Others said Nalco’s move was triggered by the company’s reluctance to encourage competition. Nalco and VAL are competitors; both manufacture and sell aluminium.

The Odisha government has decided to rope in Rail India Technical and Economic Services (Rites), the engineering and consultancy arm of Indian Railways, to make an assessment of land requirement for non-major port projects.

“We are going to engage Rites for assessing land need of non-major port projects in the state. We have already got government approval for the same,” said a top commerce & transport department official.

Company has proposed a 5-mtpa LNG terminal at Gangavaram in Visakhapatnam district

A public hearing on the establishment of a 5-million tonne per annual (mtpa) liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal proposed at Gangavaram in Visakhapatnam district by Petronet LNG Limited is being held tomorrow. The Vizag district administration has made arrangements for the same at Gangavaram port after the chief secretary intervened in the matter, officials said here.

CORTALIM: Contrary to claims by Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) of minimal environment impact on its expansion projects, the New Delhi-based Centre for Science & Environment has alleged several flaws in the MPT’s Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report.

CSE has highlighted the shortcomings in the EIA for the controversial 7.2 MMTPA Iron Ore Export Terminal West of Breakwater, in its technical analysis at the request of local activist Savio Correia.