Construction halted; State govt promises housing scheme for those affected
Fish workers barge into the construction site of the Adani International Seaport at Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram August 16, 2022 and wave black flags. Photo: South First The Adani Group has temporarily stopped construction activities of the Vizhinjam international seaport, after Latin Catholic Church-backed protestors went inside the construction site.
The protestors prevented vehicles from carrying raw materials to the site and also forced construction workers to stop.
The Adani Group has now said that work would resume once the state government ensured adequate protection for the site and the people working there.
Hundreds of fish workers barged into the construction site August 16, 2022, raising slogans against the Adani Group. They also waved black flags.
Churches, institutions and houses under the Thiruvananthapuram Latin Catholic diocese also hoisted black flags on Tuesday as a mark of protest.
Kerala Road Transport, Motor Vehicles, and Water Transport Minister Antony Raju promised on Tuesday that a massive housing scheme would be launched on a 15-acre area soon for those who lose houses because of the project.
However, the church leaders said they wanted to subject the project to an independent environmental and social coast study while keeping the construction works suspended.
Kerala Port Development Minister Ahmed Devarkovil earned public condemnation from the church after he commented that outsiders and not people from Vizhinjam were conducting the strike.
Vicar General Eugene Pereira told reporters that the minister had lost his senses.
This article is republished with permission from South First. Read the original article.
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