Tensions arose between protesting port workers and police near Visakhapatnam's Adani Gangavaram Port on Thursday, August 17, leading to physical altercations. According to reports, tensions escalated as protestors rallied on, breaching barricades in an attempt to enter the port. The port has been under a blockade, with the entrance fenced with barbed wires.
Nearly six hundred workers, who were employed as a part of a rehabilitation package provided to the nearby fishing villages of Dibbapalem and Gangavaram at the time of the construction of the port in 2005-2009, have been protesting for more than 45 days demanding fair wages. On Thursday, labour unions called for a bandh demanding the rehiring of dismissed port workers and the enforcement of a gross minimum monthly wage of Rs 36000.
According to the protesters, the basic salary has not increased in the last 14 years, and they have been experiencing financial hardships. The union’s call for a minimum wage of Rs 36 000 was pitched in comparison to the wages paid at the Visakhapatnam Port, which is a public entity. "The Adani Gangavaram port has been running successfully with profits. The base pay has been Rs 3700 (the maximum net salary drawn is Rs 18000) for those who were employed as part of the rehabilitation package, while a few who are not active in the protests got an increment of up to Rs 1500. We took these jobs for the port and gave up our livelihoods, but the pay is not fair,” said Tatarao, a member of the Gangavaram Port Employees Union. He also said that the employees who are not part of the rehabilitation package have a higher basic salary.
The multi-billion Adani port project near Visakhapatnam city posed a threat to the livelihoods of around 4000 families, primarily from Dibbapalem and Gangavaram fishing villages. However, around 2000 families were officially recognised as beneficiaries by the district administration, causing discontent among the residents of the village, who protested demanding better Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) provisions. Tragically, in 2006, the protests escalated leading to a fisherman's death due to police firing. The final R&R package includes the construction of a jetty so that the fishermen can continue their livelihood. However, this has not been materialised till now.
Established under a public-private partnership in 2008, the Gangavaram Port Ltd. was acquired by Adani Ports, an Indian conglomerate that purchased a 31.5% minority stake from the US company Warburg Pincus in March 2021. They soon increased their ownership to 89.6% by purchasing an additional 58.1% stake from DVS Raju (Co-founder of Satyam Computers). Within no time, the company acquired 100% ownership by purchasing the remaining 10.4% of shares held by the Andhra Pradesh government.
“When the new management took over, we hoped that our lives would get better, but the management was adamant. When DVS Raju was heading the port, around four workers who were active in the union were dismissed from their jobs. In recent times, five other employees were dismissed. We demand to provide all of them the opportunity to join work,” Tatarao said. He added that due to the lack of a jetty, around 500 families who depend on fishing have to commute to the Visakhapatnam fishing harbor for livelihood.