The protest against Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport project by Adani Enterprises Limited intensified on Monday, August 22, after the protestors laid siege in land and on sea. The fisherfolk engaged in a protest against the project for a week have raised seven main demands.
According to reports, protestors backed by the Latin Catholic Church, entered the construction area breaking open the barricades and main gate. A rally with more than 500 vehicles was taken out on Monday, which marked the seventh day of protest. Around 300 boats also joined the protest. The protests happened even as the government decided to allocate 10 acres of land at Muttathara for rehabilitation purposes.
Earlier, on August 19, the Kerala Fisheries Minister V Abdurahiman held talks with representatives of protesting fisherfolk over the construction of the port. However, he failed to persuade them to withdraw from the agitation. The protest is being led by the Thiruvananthapuram Latin Catholic Archbishop Diocese, which expects the intervention of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the issue.
The protestors’ seven demands are: arranging a temporary, free and accessible residential facility for the people who lost their homes due to coastal erosion; compensating their loss and providing adequate rehabilitation; halting the construction of the port and conducting a scientific study involving locals and experts; providing subsidy to kerosene; providing minimum wages to fisherfolk on the days that they are not able to venture into the sea due to weather conditions; rectifying coastal damages in Muthalapozhi to facilitate fishing activity and rehabilitating families likely to be affected by coastal erosion.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), on Sunday, has declared its support to the fisherfolk and the protestors, reported TOI. Earlier last week, Kerala Minister for Ports Ahammad Devarkovil said that the protest was being undertaken by ‘outsiders’ and not by the people of Vizhinjam, creating controversy.