Protests at Adani Vizhinjam port site in Kerala

Tension broke out at Adani Vizhinjam international seaport project construction site in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, with agitators blocking vehicles carrying rocks.

Local residents, under the leadership of the the Latin Catholic Church, have been staging protests against the project over the last four months.

In view of repeated court orders to ensure that the port construction should not be blocked by the agitators, lorries carrying rocks proceeded to the construction site on Saturday. But the agitators stopped the lorries. While the police tried to prevent the agitators, a section of locals who backed the port project also came in protest, leading to tension between the two sections.

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Both sections even indulged in stone pelting towards each other. The lorries carrying rocks returned from the spot. Police managed to bring the situation under control.

The state government already gave favourable assurance to all the major demands of the agitators, like rehabilitation and study on the impact of the port project on the coastal areas. But the demand to stop the port construction was not accepted.

The Adani group had informed the government that already a loss of over Rs 100 crore had occurred due to the strike.

The state government was keeping off from using force against the agitators as it could lead to major tension in the area and invite the wrath of the coastal community.