The protest by the fisherfolk and other local communities in the coastal region of Vizhinjam against the construction of the International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport in Kerala completed 100 days on Thursday, October 27. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently said that the deliberations with the Action Council reached a bottleneck due to their demand to give up the port project. Fr Eugene H Pereira, Vicar General of the Latin Archdiocese, Thiruvananthapuram, which is spearheading the protest, told TNM that the Action Council wants to temporarily halt the work and not to abandon the port developed by Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd (AVPPL), the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) unit of Adani Ports.
Alleging that the CM has made misleading statements regarding the protest, Fr Pereira said he has to introspect whether the government has taken any concrete decision with regard to addressing their concerns. “Several deliberations were held with various sub-committees and government agencies. We have taken an open stand but the CM is taking potshots at us. Our fight is to live, to conserve the coast,” he said.
Fr Pereira says they are opposing the project because of the havoc created by port construction activities on their livelihood, adverse ecological impact and potential for economic losses . “There will be repercussions when stones are deposited on the sea for breakwater construction. The best example for this is Muthalapozhi. Thazhampally village near Muthalappozhi has totally vanished. Those who do fishing with kambavala (a type of net) on the shore cannot do it anymore because of coastal erosion. Around 40,000 fishermen lost their livelihood but not attempts have been made by the state to assess this. Many have been forced to go to other places for work. None of these issues have been taken seriously,” Fr Pereira said.
The High Court has said that the construction of the port project cannot be halted. The HC in September asked the state government to respond to Adani Port's contempt petition against the state government for failing to provide security for the construction. When asked if the protest is against the government or the Adani group, Pereira said that what the Action Council seeks is to stop the dredging, which will have ecological impact and to conduct a scientific study.
“The Shanghumukham beach is gone, the globally famed tourism beach Kovalam is on the verge of destruction. From Panathura to Valiya Veli, several houses were lost. Despite all this the Chief Minister keeps blaming climate change for catastrophes in the region,” Fr Pereira said. The Action Council claims that the coastal erosion is due to port construction activities and wants a proper study and remedial measures.
The Vicar General alleged that the government was not even ready to address the concerns of people who lost their homes to coastal erosion and were forced to live in Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns and schools. “They have been living just six kilometres away from the administrative headquarters of the state for the past four years. We have given several submissions, including to the CM, seeking rehabilitation of these people. Four Cabinet sub-committees held discussions with us at this Bishop house. The promise given to us was that they will be rehabilitated. But later an announcement was made that Rs 5,500 will be given as monthly rent for them. That was a unilateral decision without consulting us. With Rs 5,500 what can be afforded is worse than where they live now.There has been no clear stand on rehabilitating people,” he said.
The Government in October formed an expert panel to study if the port construction has caused any coastal erosion.
Pereira also alleged that the Action Council was not consulted while the panel was being set up. “During the deliberations with the government we were told that our representative will also be included in the expert committee but it did not happen. Then how can the government claim that six out of the seven demands were accepted. The fisherfolk have lost their livelihood because of coastal erosion which resulted in migration. This issue too has not been addressed,” said Fr Pereira.
A study headed by a US-based researcher has found that the construction of the Vizhinjam port is not the causative factor for the accelerated erosion along the coastline.
Casting aspersions on the study, Fr Pereira said they doubt the motive of the research and have doubts that the researcer was speaking for the Adani group. “Many scientists through their studies have shown that the construction of breakwaters is the reason for the erosion. Adani has brought various agencies to disprove the facts raised by us. Some who now back the Adani port are those who were opposed to the project in the past. Now they might have benefited from the port contractors.There are 14 guidelines set by the Green Tribunal for the construction of the Vizhinjam port. One of the terms is that every six months coastal erosion and the changes in the sea should be studied. Even some people in the scientific community are acting in favour of the contractors and publishing false reports,” he alleged.
Fr Pereira says their demand is to conduct a proper scientific study in the backdrop of concerns and the delays faced by the project. “We never demanded to give up the project, but to stop the construction temporarily to conduct a scientific study as the project, which was to be completed in 2019, has huge ecological impact and will cause economic loss,” said Fr Pereira.
“We have designated a panel to study coastal erosion. The report will be submitted before the government and the public. Now, it seems the deliberations with the state government have suddenly stopped with no sign of a headway,” he added.
Watch Fr Eugene H Pereira's interview to TNM