Year 2022 saw quite a lot of protests against two of Kerala’s ambitious projects — the K-Rail, a semi high-speed project promising to connect Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram in four hours, and the Vizhinjam International Seaport that has been in the pipeline for many years. Both projects were opposed by opposition parties as well as members of the public, who were concerned about the land acquisition needed for the project, which may displace thousands of families. However, the Friday budget speech of Finance Minister KN Balagopal mentions allocations for land acquisition in the Vizhinjam port project, though there is no mention of the K-Rail project, which had been halted following pending approvals from the Union government.
An amount of Rs 1,000 crore is kept aside for land acquisition activities, through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), Minister Balagopal said in his budget speech. “By utilising the possibilities of Vizhinjam, the government prepares for massive development projects modelled on major international ports. Vizhinjam can become one of the largest transshipment container ports in the world,” says the budget document released by the government.
Drawing parallels with port-cities like Dubai, Singapore, and Shanghai, the Minister said that Vizhinjam too is located on a busy sea route, and important cities and industrial centres have developed next to such ports. The budget mentions the construction of a ring road, 63 km long, to develop the nearby areas of Vizhinjam into such an industrial corridor. The ring road will connect Vizhinjam to Navayikkulam via Thekkada in NH 66 and 12 km from Thekkada to Mangalapuram, the budget document says. "This will become the most important industrial corridor of the state. A township chain of industrial institutions, commercial centres, and extensive accommodation facilities will emerge," it says.
It also mentions initiatives to develop industrial parks, logistics centres, and residential areas involving people on either side of the industrial corridor. An amount of Rs 60,000 crore will be earmarked for the first phase of development.
A protest that lasted more than 130 days was called off in Kerala last year only by December, after talks with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Vicar General Fr Eugene Pereira said that the protest was called off, not because their objectives were met, but because one phase of the protest had ended in consensus. The port construction, carried out by the Adani group, had been halted until further intimation from the government's side.
The protestors, mostly comprising fisher folk, have been worried about the impact of the project on their lives and livelihood. They have demanded that they should carry out an independent study on their own, before the project proceeds.
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