Latin Catholic church in Kerala takes up protest against Vizhinjam port

Agitation along the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram against the upcoming Adani Vizhinjam international seaport escalated further on Tuesday, with the Latin Catholic church raising black flags at the churches in the region.

The recurring high tides along the coastal areas close to the port project in the state capital triggered the fresh agitations. Through the protest, the people demanded proper compensations and due assessment of the impact caused by the port project.

Construction activities at the port site were halted in the day, as hundreds of people, including women, staged a blockade near the site under the leadership of priests of Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram.

While agitators alleged that the increasing high tides were the outcome of the construction of breakwater for the port, the port authorities maintained it wasn’t the reason. According to them, studies found that the high tides and rough seas in the area were due to the changes caused by cyclones.

The Rs 7,500 crore project was expected to give a boost to Kerala’s economic development by facilitating international container trans-shipment, as it was closer to the international shipping route. Initiated in 2015, the project was already delayed because of cyclones, as well as shortage of rock for construction.

The latest plans showed the port was likely to commence operations in a phased manner from next year.

Archdiocese vicar general Fr Eugene Pereira, who led the agitations, said the project would be vehemently opposed unless the authorities came out with proper studies on the port’s impact on the people staying along the coastal belts.

The rough seas following the construction activities of the port was affecting fishing activities, he said. There was also an increase in the number of accidents in the sea. Several houses in the region were also getting damaged because of high tides and coastal erosion.

The government should come out with proper solutions to these issues. Till then there would be no compromise in the stir, the archdiocese said.

The agitators were also provoked by a statement by the Kerala ports minister Ahammad Devarkovil, who had said that the protesters were people from other areas, and not from the affected region. The agitators also did not concede to the government’s offer to provide alternative land for housing.

Officials associated with the port project said that all who were displaced due to the project were duly compensated. There were no findings to prove that the high tides were due to the construction work at Vizhinjam, they said.

A June 2022 report by the National Institute of Ocean Technology in Chennai on shoreline change analysis of Vizhinjam had concluded that port activities were causing less significant impact on nearby coastal areas, whereas the increasing number of cyclones and frequent depressions made larger impact on the shoreline.