The Kerala government has agreed to hold discussions with the representatives of the Latin Catholic Church, which is spearheading the fishermen’s protest against the Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport by Adani Ports.

The striking fishermen have laid siege on the Rs 7,525-crore container transhipment terminal at Vizhinjam, which is being constructed by Adani Ports.

On August 18, state Fisheries Minister V. Abdurahiman told Eugine H Pereira, the Vicar General of Thiruvananthapuram Latin Archdiocese, that the government was willing to hold talks with church representatives, the New Indian Express reported.

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Pereira accepted the offer on the condition that the government accepts the church’s demands. Earlier, the church had urged the government to stop the project and conduct a survey and address the issue of rehabilitation and livelihood of the fishing community.

Why are the fishermen protesting?

Led by the priests of the Latin Archdiocese, fishermen showed up at the construction site of the multi-purpose seaport, located at nearby Mulloor, on August 16, raised slogans against the Adani Group and waved black flags.

As a mark of protest, churches, institutions, and houses that come under the Latin Catholic diocese also hoisted black flags on August 16.

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The protesters are raising their voice on marine erosion, seeking rehabilitation, and long-term solutions to the marine problems. They allege that the unscientific construction of groynes, the artificial shore protection structure, as part of the upcoming Vizhinjam port, has led to the increase in coastal erosion in the district, Hindustan Times reported.

They also sought rehabilitation and adequate compensation for those families who lost their homes due to the tidal wave attacks which, they allege, have intensified due to the construction of the Vizhinjam port.

“We have been alerting the government about our miseries since construction of the port started in December 2015,” India Today quoted Eugine H. Pereira as saying. He said around 500 houses and many boats had been destroyed on the Veli-Panathura coastal stretch (in Thiruvananthapuram). In the past three months, five fishermen have lost their lives due to tidal wave attacks, he said.

In an attempt to placate the protesters, the state government promised to launch a massive housing scheme and allocate land for construction of flats to rehabilitate those fisherfolk who lost homes due to the project.

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However, the church authorities sought an independent environmental and social coast study on the project while keeping the construction work suspended.

What the port authorities said?

Adani Ports said it would adhere to the directives of the government and also welcomed the proposal for a comprehensive study into the coastal erosion northward of Vizhinjam, BusinessLine reported.

Although work has been temporarily halted at the port site to avoid provoking the strikers, the port company has voiced its concern over safety, after protesters pulled down police barricades to enter its premises on August 19.

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What is the govt doing?

The government has already said demands to stop work on the mega project entirely would not be entertained. However, the state fisheries minister spoke to the protesters from New Delhi and said he would fix a time and venue for the talks after reaching the state capital on on August 19.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Aug 19, 2022 6:12 PM IST