THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The churches under the Latin diocese of Thiruvananthapuram read a pastoral letter during the Sunday Mass asking laity to participate in the rally against the Vizhinjam port project to be held next week. It is the third pastoral letter on the issue by the Archbishop of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, Thomas J Netto.
The rally, starting from Moolampally in Kochi on September 14, is likely to be a show of strength for the church which is at loggerheads with the government on the issue. In the letter, the Archbishop urged the community to participate and organise people for the rally. The rally has the support of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference, fishermen unions, Coastal area Development Agency for Liberation, and social and environmental activists.
It passes through various coastal areas including Anchuthengu, Perumathura, Mariyanadu, Thumba, Vettucaud, Valiyathura, Beemapalli, Poonthura, Kovalam, and Vizhinjam before congregating in front of the main gate of the port project on September 18.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the protest have started efforts to meet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is in the state capital as part of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yathra’. A team led by the Vicar General of the Thiruvananthapuram Latin Archdiocese, Eugine H Pereira, has already met the CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran to seek support.
The church has decided to go ahead with the protest despite setbacks in court and government-initiated talks. The church started the protest by demanding the government stop port construction and study its ecological impact. They also demand fair compensation and rehabilitation for loss of property and houses, compensation for fishermen who lost work days due to adverse weather warnings, smooth navigation at Muthalapozhi harbour, subsidised kerosene as done in Tamil Nadu, rent-free accommodation for people who lost houses and rehabilitation of families affected by sea erosion.
Show of strength
The rally, starting from Moolampally in Kochi on September 14, is likely to be a show of strength for the church which is at loggerheads with the government on the issue.
Right-wing think tank backs port project
T’Puram: The Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram (BVK) state committee issued a resolution supporting the port project. It asked the Latin Church to take a realistic stand considering the interest of the country and the people. The resolution was moved by P Balagopalan in a meeting held in Kayamkulam on Sunday. The resolution alleged that the church had taken a stubborn stand to stop the port work even after the government had agreed to consider their just demands.
“The attempts to stall a project, which is going to be a milestone for the nation’s financial progress, by creating confusion among the public should not be seen lightly,” said a statement issued by BVK general secretary K C Sudheer Babu. He said there were allegations that local and international conspiracies were behind the protest when the project was expected to be completed fully by 2024.
The statement also said that the explanation given on the issue by the ports minister Ahamed Devarkovil in the assembly was convincing. Earlier the BJP state president K Surendran also came out in support of the project and he had dismissed the demands for stopping the project.