KOCHI: Expressing solidarity with the coastal residents protesting against the Vizhinjam port in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council president Cardinal George Alencherry has urged catholic parishes in the state to participate in the Vizhinjam march organised by the Kerala Region Latin Catholic Bishops Council.
The march, named ‘Jana Bodhana Yatra’, will start from Moolampally in Ernakulam on September 14 and end at Vizhinjam port on September 18 with a huge rally taken out from Vizhinjam fishing harbour to the port. The march aims to create public awareness and demand a permanent solution to the concerns of the coastal community.
In a letter to KCBC members, Alencherry said the government should make a sincere effort to address the issues raised by members of the community, whose livelihood has been hit by the coastal erosion due to the port’s construction.
“The organisers have sought our support for Jana Bodhana Yatra and the rally in Thiruvananthapuram on September 18. I urge bishops of all Catholic denominations to ensure participation of maximum number of representatives from your diocese in the march,” he said in the letter.
Led by the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, members of the coastal community have been protesting at Vizhinjam for the past one month demanding that the construction of the port be stopped and an impact study conducted.