THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ports Minister Ahammad Devarkovil said efforts would be made to commission the Vizhinjam port by Onam next year, despite the delay caused due to the protests. He held talks with the representatives of Adani Ports, the concessionaire of the project, to address issues in its implementation, in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
“We convened the meeting to ensure that the project is not delayed. There shall be a joint action plan to compensate for the days lost and dock the first ship at the port by next Onam,” said the minister. The government had set June 2023 as the new deadline after the concessionaire missed the first deadline of December 3, 2019, to complete the port work.
Adani Port recently sent a letter to the ports department demanding a compensation of Rs 78.7 crore claiming that the work had been affected due to the coastal protest led by Latin Church from August 16. The minister said a decision regarding the compensation and other demands of Adani Group will be discussed after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan returns from his foreign trip.
The minister also declined the demand by Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), a special purpose government company, to recover the loss suffered from the protestors. According to him, the government has no intention to provoke anyone and worsen the existing situation.
The minister hoped that the protestors would stop the ongoing protest as six out of their seven demands have been met by the government. The Latin Church representatives, however, denied that the government had addressed any of their demands properly.
“The government’s claim on addressing our demands is misleading. However, we are hopeful of talks with the minister to resolve the issues,” said vicar-general of Thiruvananthapuram Latin archdiocese and general convenor of the protest Eugine H Pereira. The protestors had demanded an expert committee by including a representative suggested by them. But this demand was not considered when the government formed a committee to study the impact of the project on coastal areas, on October 6.
Meanwhile, the protestors have decided to intensify their stir in the coming days. They will take out a protest march to the secretariat and resort to road blockades at seven locations in Thiruvananthapuram on October 17. They also plan a state-wide protest on October 19.The Church started the protest demanding the government to stop port construction and study its ecological impact by involving coastal people.
The demands include fair compensation and rehabilitation for loss of property and houses, compensation for fishermen who have lost work days due to adverse weather warnings, ensuring smooth navigation at Muthalapozhi harbour, providing subsidised kerosene as done in Tamil Nadu, rent-free accommodation for people who lost houses and rehabilitation of families affected by sea erosion. The protest began in front of the port site at Mulloor on August 16. The work at the site has been stopped since then