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INDIA: India's Kerala state will proceed "no matter what" with a $900 million port project and is open to deploying federal police if needed to protect it from protesters blocking construction, a government minister told Reuters on Saturday.
The local fishing community, led by Catholic priests, has blocked construction of Vizhinjam port by Adani Group for almost four months, erecting a makeshift shelter at the port's entrance. The protesters say the huge project causes coastal erosion that has undermined their livelihoods, calling for a complete halt on the construction.
The Kerala government, which is sharing two thirds of the project cost with the federal government, and the Adani Group, led by Asia's richest man Gautam Adani, have refuted these allegations. Over 100 individuals were hurt in clashes between police and protesters over the past weekend, including 64 officers.
Ahammed Devarkovil, Kerala's minister of ports, said the administration of the southern state remained confident of breaking the impasse but that there was no chance it would suspend work despite the protesters' steadfast resistance.
"In any case, we want to finish the port project. On that, there can be no compromising "In an interview, he stated. The government's position is to move forward without harming protesters because they are protesting as civilians.
A protest leader, Fredy Solomon, responded that protests would continue because "the homes and lives of thousands of fisherman are at stake" when asked about Devarkovil's comments.
An email request for comment from the Adani Group did not immediately receive a response. The company has pleaded with a state court time and again to allow the federal police to protect the project so that work may resume, claiming local police were "silent bystanders."
Kerala, according to Minister Devarkovil, is still receptive to the notion of using the federal Central Reserve Police Force.
Even though building is still going on, Devarkovil said his administration was optimistic that the first ship would arrive at the port by September 2024, the date by which Adani plans to finish the first phase of construction. By assigning workers to work longer shifts and utilising more industrial equipment, it seeks to make up for lost time.
Adani Group is ready to carry out that, according to Devarkovil.
Vizhinjam is an "unmatched location" on the vital east-west shipping route, according to Gautam Adani, whose empire includes gas and power projects as well as a ports and logistics business valued at about $23.5 billion.
The opportunities provided by Vizhinjam port are unparalleled in India, according to Devarkovil. We will be prepared to win business from the port in Sri Lanka.
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