![]() ![]() The Indian protests recall the backlash Adani faced in Australia over his Carmichael coal mine. ![]() ![]() "This is a matter of providing jobs to the many localities here," said Mukkola G Prabhakaran, a Kerala state council member in Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. Protesters say the construction has reduced the size of their catches and if the port is completed they'll be forced to fish much further out to sea.Ī group of 128 residents from the fishing community near the port has also sued the Vizhinjam unit of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd as well as the Kerala government, claiming dredging and other construction work has caused erosion that is destroying their homes.įollowing protesters' demands, the state last month set up a panel to study coastal erosion at the site.Īdani Group said in its statement that India's National Green Tribunal, which has been monitoring the impact of the project, has not found any environmental or social violations.įor their part, pro-construction supporters at their shelters accuse the protesters of impeding progress. An easing of the pandemic also made it easier than previous years to protest. The fishing community erected the shelter after years of failed efforts to get the Kerala government to intervene while watching the coast steadily erode. Prakash R describes the situation as a standoff between "people of the sea", who are mostly Christian and make their living from fishing and "people of the land" who are predominantly Hindu. We are strategically positioned between the two sides to prevent any such incident," he added.Įach day, the protesters and port supporters blare music from loudspeakers and chant slogans. "We can't rule out the possibility of this spiralling into communal tensions. What if someone threatens or commits suicide? All hell will break loose." "We are holding back from using forces to avoid any untoward incidents. With transhipment, containers are transferred from mainline vessels on key trade routes to smaller, feeder vessels on other trade lanes - creating a hub-and-spoke network that is more economical and flexible than relying on point-to-point shipping.Įager to get on with plans to complete the first phase of construction by December 2024, the Adani conglomerate has sued the Kerala government for police inaction.īut Prakash R, a senior police officer in charge of security outside the port, said his aim is to avoid a situation like the 2018 environmental protests against a Vedanta copper smelter in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state that resulted in 13 deaths and the smelter's closure. As a transhipment port, it would be well-positioned to grab business from Sri Lanka - where arch-rival China has invested heavily in port infrastructure - as well as from Singapore and Dubai. The Kerala state government, which has been in talks with protesters and argues that erosion has occurred due to cyclones and other natural disasters, did not respond to a request for comment.Īdani, whose empire spans gas and power projects as well as a ports and logistics business valued at some $23.5 billion, has described Vizhinjam as an "unmatched location" on one of the world's main shipping routes. "In light of these findings by independent experts and institutions, we feel that the ongoing protests are motivated and against the interests of the state and the development of the port," it said. "We are willing to be arrested in large numbers if need be," he told Reuters.Īdani Group said in a statement the project is in full compliance with all laws and that many studies conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology and other institutions in recent years have rejected allegations relating to the project's responsibility for shoreline erosion. Pereira, vicar general of the archdiocese leading the protesters, said they would not be removing the shelter despite the court order. In October, vehicles that tried to exit the port had to turn back.Įugine H. The Adani conglomerate plans to send heavy vehicles to the port on Friday after the court this week said vehicle movement should not be blocked. ![]() They want the government to order a halt to construction and independent studies on the impact of the port's development on the marine ecosystem. Protest leaders allege construction of the port since December 2015 has resulted in significant erosion of the coast and further building promises to wreak havoc with the livelihood of a fishing community they say numbers some 56,000. ![]()
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