Protest Against Vizhinjam Port in Kerala Called Off After 130 Days

A large number of people have been staging demonstrations outside the main entrance of the multi-purpose Vizhinjam seaport at nearby Mulloor in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala for the last few months.

New Delhi: The over 130-day-long protest by fisherfolk against the under-construction Vizhinjam seaport was on Tuesday called off for now. The calling off of the agitation was announced by Vicar General Eugene Pereira, who has been seen at the forefront of the protests.

He, however, said the protest was not being called off because they were satisfied with the steps taken or promises made by the state government. It was being called off as the protest has reached a certain stage and if required, they will take it up again, Pereira told reporters here.

A day ago, leaders of various religious groups in Kerala had met with the fisherfolk protesting against the under-construction Vizhinjam seaport here as part of the ongoing efforts to bring peace to the area which witnessed violent agitations recently.

A large number of people have been staging demonstrations outside the main entrance of the multi-purpose seaport at nearby Mulloor for the last few months. They have been pressing their seven-point charter of demands that include stopping the construction work and to conduct a coastal impact study in connection with the multi-crore project.

PTI reports say a few days back agitators turns violent when Vizhinjam police arrested a few protesters they found blocking the trucks in Thiruvananthapuram. Later most of them were released. These were carrying some construction materials for the airport from the side of the Adani Group. A scuffle erupted when a group of people supporting the Port construction come in front of the opposite side protesters.

The agitators have been alleging that the unscientific construction of groins, the artificial sea walls as part of the upcoming port, was one of the reasons for the increasing coastal erosion. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)