THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state ministers attending the expert summit on Vizhinjam port assured the government would go ahead with the project, despite protests from the coastal community. The summit was conducted two days after the violent protest that left scores of people including policemen injured.
The Ports Minister Ahamed Devakovil said the first ship would dock at the port during Onam next. “The port is owned by the government and not Adani. The construction activities are carried out with minimal ecological damage and the coastal erosion is not due to the port,” said the minister.
Fisheries minister V Abdurahiman said the government would not backtrack from the project. “We have tried our level best to negotiate with the protestors. There is a limit to it. No one who loves the country could object to the port,” said the minister. He also said the profits from the port are not for the Chief Minister to take home.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan could not inaugurate the event due to health issues, while Shashi Tharoor MP said he decided against attending the event as there was no formal invitation. Meanwhile, the protestors led by Latin Church are organising protests in the evening in connection with the fifth anniversary of the Ockhi disaster.
They blamed the government for not keeping the promises given to the families of the Ockhi victims. The government has deployed more policemen in the wake of violence. The Janakeeya Prathirodha Samithi (JPS), a group supporting the port project at Vizhinjam, is also organising a protest march on Wednesday.