Vizhinjam protests: FIR filed against 3,000 people; 36 cops injured

The protests are expected to cast shadow on the completion of the first phase of the project in December 2023

Following the violent protests at Vizhinjam (Kerala) by anti-port activists on Sunday night, the police on Monday filed a case against at least 3,000 people, who were allegedly involved in attacking a police station and injuring around 36 cops.
 

The protests are expected to cast a shadow on the completion of the first phase of the Vizhinjam International Seaport project in December 2023.
 

More than 20 people among the protestors were also injured. The local fishing community, led by the powerful Latin Catholic Archdiocese, had been claiming that the breakwater and constructions would affect their livelihood and homes. 
 

The incident took place on Sunday after protests against the seaport project completed more than 130 days and is gathering steam. However, the protestors are in no mood to retreat from their main demand of stoppage of work.
 

They alleged that unscientific construction works in the port area is a major reason for the rise in coastal erosion. 
 

The FIR by the police cited that the attack on the police station on Sunday was part of a larger conspiracy and alleged plan to kill cops.
 

The agitators allegedly attacked the station, demanding the release of five people booked by the police for blocking construction vehicles at the work site on Friday.
 

The protestors alleged that external forces were behind the violence on Sunday.
 

“They came up with seven demands. We are unable to give them an assurance on one demand, seeking free supply of kerosene as it comes from the Centre. Another demand is that they want the ongoing work in the port to be stopped. That’s not possible,” said state ports minister Ahamed Devarkovil.
 

The roots of the project go back to the time of Diwan C P Ramaswamy Iyer (1940s) and the Travancore dynasty that is believed to be the one who conceptualised a deep-sea port in the area.
 

It got a fresh lease of life in the 1990s but finally managed to take off only during the early 2000s. When A K Antony was the chief minister, a global tender was floated. Though a company called Zoom Developers showed interest, the bids were cancelled due to alleged Chinese investment in the company.
 

Later in 2014, the Oommen Chandy government floated a fresh tender and a deal was signed with the Adani Group in 2015.
 

As part of the private-public partnership (PPP) deal, the Adani Group is supposed to design, build, finance, operate and transfer the project at Rs 7,525 crore. The Kerala government’s investment in the project is around Rs 5,071 crore, while that of the Adani Group is Rs 2,454 crore.
 

According to experts, around 30 per cent of global cargo moves through the southern tip of India.
 

Compared to other ports, Vizhinjam has a natural depth of 18.4 metres within one km from the coast. This can handle even the world’s largest mother vessel of 24,500 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).
 

Other advantages include its proximity of half an hour or 12 nautical miles to the international shipping channel.
 

This is compared to half a day for the Kochi International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), owned by Cochin Port Trust and operated by Dubai-based DP World. It is three to four days for Mumbai and Mangalore ports.
 

In addition, the Vizhinjam port is expected to have an edge in handling Indian cargo, 75 per cent of which is transhipped at Colombo, Dubai, Salalah and Singapore. This is estimated to have a loss of around Rs 2,500 crore for the country.