The Kerala High Court on Friday, October 7, directed the protestors in front of the under-construction Vizhinjam Port to remove the sheds erected by them as part of their agitation. Justice Anu Sivaraman directed the protestors to remove the sheds based on a plea filed by the Adani Ports. Meanwhile, the state government submitted before the Court that it has already given notice to the protestors to remove the sheds and obstructions before the entrance of the port.
On September 30, the Court had asked the government and the police to ensure that there are no obstructions that prevent vehicles from passing. The Adani Ports, which moved a contempt of court petition, had said a shed erected by the protestors were creating obstructions at the entrance.
Earlier on August 29, the Court said the construction at the Vizhinjam Port cannot be halted and any complaint with regard to the project can be raised at the appropriate forum and added that the agitation must not affect the ongoing project.
The Adani Ports, which is constructing the Vizhinjam Port in Thiruvananthapuram had, on August 25, moved the court seeking protection from protestors. The Adani Group, in its plea, had said the ongoing agitation was a threat to the lives of its employees and that the police and the government were not taking any action in this regard. The company had also told the court that even though it had approached the government seeking protection, no steps were initiated.
A large number of people form the coastal region in Kerala have been staging the protest outside the main entrance of the multi-purpose seaport, located at nearby Mulloor, since last week pressing for their 7-point charter of demands including to stop the construction work and to conduct a coastal impact study in connection with the multi-crore project. The protestors have been alleging that the unscientific construction of groynes, the artificial sea-walls known as ‘pulimutt’ in local parlance, as part of the upcoming Vizhinjam Port was one of the reasons for the increasing coastal erosion in the district.
Giving details of the purported measures being taken by the government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had recently told the Assembly that the government was considering providing rented accommodation to rehabilitate the displaced fisherfolk and the District Collector of Thiruvananthapuram has been entrusted with the task which includes fixation of rent. He claimed that the government has launched a Rs 2,450-crore project to rehabilitate the fisherfolk displaced due to coastal erosion and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) regulations.