Verghese V Joseph –
Thiruvananthapuram: The ongoing Rs 7,500-crore Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport project – being developed in the southern state of Kerala by the Adani Group – has run into an unlikely local opposition, led by the Latin Catholic Archdiocese.
Vizhinjam, located at the extreme south-western tip of Kerala, served as an important port throughout the history of the region. The location is economically and geopolitically significant as a key point connecting the shipping between Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Way back in the 14th Century, the Portuguese and the Dutch had commercial establishments here. Later, the Portuguese built a church in Vizhinjam near the seashore, which is still functional and is referred to as the Old Vizhinjam Church (Old St. Mary’s Church). It is located in the Vizhinjam fishing harbour area.
The protesters say the project will adversely affect the livelihood of the fishermen, the coastal ecosystem, and the ecology of the Western Ghats due to the mining of granite stones.
Keen to finish the project as early as possible, the state government has appealed to the church authorities to end the protest as it was crucial for bringing changes to the industrial and economic sectors of the country.
The agitators also alleged the government has not given any written assurances on their demands even after many minister-level discussions.
The government claimed it had accepted almost all demands of the protesters. However, the protesters are not ready to budge, alleging the project will adversely affect the livelihood of the fishermen, the coastal ecosystem, and the ecology of the Western Ghats due to the mining of granite stones for the same.
Eugene H Pereira, a church priest who represents the protesters, told PTI the project is planned in a high eroding coastal area which may adversely affect the fisherfolk. He said that they have demanded an expert panel to study the impact.
In an article written for ETInfra, Dr Jayakumar, the Chief Executive Officer of Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited, debunks the allegation that the big-ticket project is being implemented without sufficiently factoring in ecological safeguards and adequately addressing the concerns of the coastal community.
The port is said to be the only transshipment hub in the Indian sub-continent, closest to the international shipping routes, and is centrally located on the Indian coastline.
The protest has brought together even ideological different political parties too in support on the project under the Save Vizhinjam Port Action Council. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Communist Party in Kerala joined the march led by the Save Vizhinjam Port action council in support of Adani Group’s Vizhinjam international seaport project early this month.
Meanwhile, the Adani Group, which has already moved the Kerala high court and secured a favourable order to continue the construction of the port, said if the protests continue, their deadline of December 2023 might get extended.
The High Court has issued multiple stern warnings to the protesters asking them not to block the road or the construction. The court has also issued an order asking the Kerala police to provide security for the construction of the Port.