According to the activists, dredging and groyne construction associated with the Rs 7,525 crore Vizhinjam Adani port, which began in 2015, have impeded the normal movement of sand over the ocean floor, which results in a balanced accretion-erosion cycle. Protestors are demanding rehabilitation and a permanent solution for sea erosion.
Fishermen’s demonstrations against the current Adani port project in Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, further intensified on Monday as the port was blocked from the sea as well. The fisherfolks have already been laying siege to the under-construction port on land.
They are demanding rehabilitation and a permanent solution for sea erosion while alleging that hundreds of acres of coastal land were destroyed when the construction work started.
Continuing their protests for the seventh day, the protesters climbed over barricades and broke open the lock on the main gate. Moreover, they also carried out a vehicle protest rally with over 500 vehicles which commenced at 9 am and an agitation on water with boats was flagged off from the Vizhinjam fishing harbour.
The protest would not be withdrawn till all of their seven demands are met. The Kerala government has agreed to hold discussions with the representatives of the Latin Catholic Church, which is spearheading the fishermen’s protest.
Adani Ports is building two transhipment ports in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Vizhinjam, Kerala.
There are already six strategically positioned ports and terminals operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone on India’s west coast (four in Gujarat, one in each of Goa and Maharashtra, and one in Rajasthan), Dhamra in Odisha, Gangavaram, Visakhapatnam and Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and Kattupalli and Ennore in Tamil Nadu are also some of the ports on the eastern coast.
Some groups are also staging an indefinite Satyagraha against the Adani port in Vizhinjam of Kerala.
According to the activists, dredging and groyne construction associated with the Rs 7,525 crore Vizhinjam Adani port, which began in 2015, have impeded the normal movement of sand over the ocean floor, which results in a balanced accretion-erosion cycle. According to Adani Ports and Logistics website, APSEZ is developing this deep-sea water port as India’s first Mega Transshipment Container Terminal. The world class, future ready port is the only transshipment hub in the Indian subcontinent, closest to the international shipping routes, and is centrally located on the Indian coastline.
