South

Some support, others vehemently oppose Adani Port in Kerala: 10 points

November 30, 2022
Bharat Times

Security beefed up around Adani’s port project in Kerala’s Vizhinjam, police said

New Delhi:
Kerala police on Wednesday said they would not allow a Hindu group close to the ruling BJP to march in support of a $900 million mega port by the Adani group, amid tensions over protests led by Catholic priests.

Here’s your 10-point cheatsheet for this big story:

  1. Members of the Hindu United Front have announced a march to the port in Vizhinjam to pledge their support for a project they say will create jobs in the area.

  2. Construction has been stalled for nearly four months by protesters from a fishermen community who say the port, being built by Gautam Adani, Asia’s richest man and the world’s third-richest man, is causing erosion. Their livelihood has been affected.

  3. The protesting villagers yesterday blocked trucks carrying construction material to the project site. Clashes broke out when police attempted to intervene, in which more than 80 people were injured.

  4. Police said security has been beefed up around the port to prevent the Hindu group from reaching there. Reinforcements have already been sent to the Vizhinjam area after more than 3,000 villagers stormed a police station in Sunday’s clashes.

  5. “We have refused permission for the rally by the Hindu United Front. If the front disobeys the order, we have taken adequate precautions to stop it,” Ajit V, Trivandrum’s deputy commissioner of police, told Reuters.

  6. The port is of strategic importance to India. It is set to become India’s first container transshipment hub, rivaling Dubai, Singapore and Sri Lanka for trade on the lucrative East-West trade routes. Both the Adani Group and the Kerala government have denied allegations that the port is harming the environment.

  7. Supporters of the port have set up their shelter across the street from the protesters. Earlier, C Babu, a member of the Hindu United Front, told Reuters they would go ahead with the rally.

  8. The protests continue despite repeated orders by the Kerala High Court to allow the resumption of construction. However, the police are yet to act, fearing that doing so would escalate social and religious tensions.

  9. The first phase of construction was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. The Adani group has said in court filings that the protests have caused “huge losses” and “significant delays”.

  10. Gautam Adani has also faced protests in Australia, where environmental activists launched the “Stop Adani” movement to oppose his Carmichael coal mine project in the state of Queensland.

With inputs from Reuters

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