KOCHI: Defying the prohibitory orders imposed by the district administration, members of the LPG Terminal Virudha Janakeeya Samara Samiti took out a protest march at Puthuvype on Saturday. The 100-odd protesters, including women and children, were forcefully arrested by the cops.While 54 women and 24 men were taken to the AR Camp at Kalamassery, six children and their parents were sent to the Children’s Home at Kakkanad. The district administration had imposed Section 144 of CrPC last Monday.
The protest march, which began at 8am from the St Sebastian’s Church premises and inaugurated by environmentalist C R Neelakandan, saw the active participation of scores of residents from the area. “The police action shows the ruling front’s double standard on public issues. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan preached about citizen’s right to protest under Section 144 when his party supremo was detained during anti-CAA protest. But he is doing exactly the opposite against the peaceful protesters of Puthvype,” said Neelakandan.
Despite the threat of police action against protests, Samara Samiti chairman M B Jayagosh said they will restart the agitation after general body meeting on December 27. “No matter how harsh the police action turns out, we are not going to wind up our resistance. We are going to continue the protest by breaking the prohibitory orders until we achieve our goals. The Samiti will convene its general body meeting on December 27 to chalk out the future course of protests,” said Jayagosh.
District collector S Suhas had issued prohibitory orders in 11 wards of Elamkunnapuzha panchayat and the first divisions of Kochi Corporation early on Monday morning ahead of the resumption of construction work. It was restarted after a hiatus of two years after it was stalled by the government following the public protest in June, 2017. So far, only 45 per cent of the LPG terminal project has been completed.
The Samiti has also launched an indefinite hunger strike in front of Elamkunnapuzha panchayat office against the project which allegedly put the lives of the residents in danger. They have been demanding to shift the storage facility to the government land at Ambalamugal. However, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) officials have been reiterating that the project is safe.
Locals to restart stir
While 54 women and 24 men were taken to the AR Camp at Kalamassery, six children and their parents were sent to the Children’s Home at Kakkanad
Despite the threat of police action against protests, Samara Samiti chairman M B Jayagosh said they will restart the agitation after general body meeting on December 27
District collector S Suhas had issued prohibitory orders in 11 wards of Elamkunnapuzha panchayat and the first divisions of Kochi Corporation early on Monday morning ahead
of the resumption of construction work