NAGERCOIL: Cutting across party lines, the residents, led by five MLAs, staged a protest in front of the Nagercoil Collectorate against the proposed International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) project at Enayam on Saturday. As many as 400 people including five MLAs and 181 women were arrested. When the ICTT project was proposed, the residents staged various protest, following which location of the port was changed to the area between Kovalam and Keela Manakudy.
The supporters of the project conducted various meetings in villages next to the supposed location as the fishermen also started staging stir. The supporters spread awareness among the residents that the project would provide employment and would pave way for development. However, on Saturday, People’s Movement against ICTT and leaders from Congress and DMK staged protest against the project.
But SP Shreenatha had not granted permission for the protest and had warned that the protestors would be arrested. Additional security including 38 check posts were opened for inspection and nearly 2000 police were deployed in the district. When MLAs Suresh Rajan, Rajesh Kumar, Mano Thangaraj, Austin and Prince staged the protest along with DMK and Congress cadres in front of the collectorate, they were blocked by the police and warned them not to enter the premises.
As many as 220 people including 52 women and five MLAs were arrested. Following the arrests, other members of the parties continued to protest in front of a government school and police arrested 180 people including 129 women. Many residents of the fishermen villages including Manakudy also staged protest in the coast in Kanniyakumari district against the project on Saturday.