Stir against Adani Vizhinjam port project called off

The nearly four-month-long indefinite stir against the Adani Vizhinjam port by the people of the coastal area has been called off by Tuesday evening, even as their demands were not fulfilled.

Priests of the Thiruvananthapuram Latin Catholic Church who were spearheading the stir told reporters after a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Chief Secretary V P Joy that the strike was being withdrawn even as they were not fully satisfied by the outcome.

Vicar general Eugine Perira said that the concerns of the people could be very well highlighted by the strike and hence the stir was being called off for now.

Also Read | Kerala CM reiterates 'external forces' behind anti-Vizhinjam stir allegation

The port constriction was on a stand still since August 16 owing to the stir. Vehicles with construction materials to the project site were blocked by the agitators and local police station was also attacked.

Key demands of the agitators to include their representatives in the expert panel appointed by government to study the impact of the port project on coastal areas as well as to hike rent allowance to those who lost houses in coastal erosion to Rs. 8,000 from Rs. 5,500 were also not fulfilled. The agitators did not accept the offer that Adani would allot Rs. 2,500 as rent allowance so as to make it Rs. 8,000.

The demand to withdraw cases registered in connection with the stir and to order a judicial probe into the recent tension in the region was not accepted by the government. Demand to stop the port construction was also not accepted.

Earlier during the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reiterated that there were genuine suspicions of external forces influencing the stir even as the agitators had expressed strong objections against the allegation and asked the government to come out with evidence.

Replying to discussions in the Assembly on an adjournment motion moved by the opposition Congress on the stir, Vijayan said that he had earlier held talks with top representatives of the Latin Catholic church. Though they responded positively to the government's assurances, later they would announce that they were unhappy over the assurances. This creates genuine suspicions that the agitation is being controlled by some external forces, he said.

The opposition Congress alleged that the government had worsened the stir to this extent by hesitating to initiate talks in the initial stage itself. The opposition is against stopping the port construction due to the stir. But it will stand with the people of the coastal area until their genuine grievances are addressed, said opposition leader V D Satheesan.

The Vizhinjam stir was snowballing into a major law and order concern, especially since attempts were being made to give a communal colour to the stir. Various Hindutva outfits were also staging demonstrations against the Latin Catholic church led stir.

Meanwhile, the petition filed by Adani ports seeking deployment of central forces at the port project site is coming up before the Kerala HC on Wednesday.

Even as Kerala government did not object to the demand to deploy central force during the last sitting, Chief Minister clarified on Tuesday that central force would be deployed only at the port site and the state police itself would handle law and order issues.