The report said the project is marked with human right violations and a severe disregard for natural habitats and livelihoods.
Published Nov 05, 2025 | 12:49 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 05, 2025 | 12:49 PM
Environmental activist Medha Patkar said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has promised to look into the issues raised by the fact-finding report.
Synopsis: The fact-finding team has demanded the state government and district administration to revoke the Environmental Clearance granted to the project, cease all police deployment near the project site, conduct a survey of the residences of the fisherfolk in Tonka – I and II, take cognizance of the violations of right to life and right to livelihood of the fisherfolk of Honnavar, and recognize and support the local fishing enterprises in Honnavar.
A fact-finding report urged the Karnataka government to revoke environmental clearance for the Honnavar Port Project in Uttara Kannada. The report said the approval was granted based on “questionable reports and without proper ecological assessments or public participation.”
The report, ‘‘Eroding Shores, Silenced Protests: A Fact-Finding Report of the Honavar Port Project,” is a follow-up to an investigation conducted earlier, documenting more recent violations and bring the “widest possible attention” to the resilience and the demands of the Honnavar fishing community.
The All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Fridays For Future-Karnataka (FFF-K), and People’s Union for Civil Liberties-Karnataka (PUCL-K) prepared the report, which was released on Tuesday, 4 November.
In its recommendations to the government, the report stated that the project is, “Marked with human right violations and a severe disregard for natural habitats and livelihoods. The project has been implemented with little regard for the rights and voices of the affected communities, and in blatant contravention of environmental safeguards meant to protect fragile coastal ecosystems and commons.”
It said the narratives documented by the team reveal a pattern of dispossession, intimidation, and silencing of dissent. “Traditional, sustainable coastal livelihoods, particularly fishing and fish drying activities, have been disrupted due to the proposed port construction and the building of an access road through CRZ-III, NDZ area,” it added.
“The project’s environmental clearance was secured on the basis of questionable reports and without proper ecological assessments or public participation. The authorities responsible for regulating the project, including the SEIAA and KSCZMA, have failed to act independently or uphold the law.”
It further added that the use of police force to suppress community opposition, “Reflects erosion of democratic spaces and civic freedoms. It represents the broader crisis of development governance in India today, where extractive infrastructure is prioritized over people’ rights and sustainability.”
Releasing the report, environmental activist Medha Patkar said that she had met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and urged him to revoke the project.
“I had a brief interaction with Siddaramaiah and brought these issues to his notice. He has promised to look into it. He has also promised to direct the police to drop all cases that were filed against protesting fishermen and their families,” she said.
“The first and foremost question is whether this port project is being pushed forward in compliance with all kinds of laws whether they are land related laws or environmental-related laws the answer is no,” Patkar further said.
The environmentalist said she had taken all the related issues to the notice of Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Maritime Board HC Balachandra during a meeting on Tuesday.
“We expect a lot from the Karnataka government. While the state government withdrew its decision on creating the aerospace in Devanahalli after the farmers protest, the same should be considered in case of Honnavar Port, Sharavathi pumped storage project and the Malpe River Project. Development without destruction and forceful eviction of people can also be done,” she added.
“What development is and what it is not is a critical question for us to ask when we look at a project like the Honnavar Port Project. We all celebrate ‘Water Day’, ‘Earth Day’, ‘Environment Day’, but are we heeding the warnings that thousands of scientists have given us? It is no longer just the indigenous communities, river communities and fishing communities that the current development paradigm ruins, but climate change and global warming threatens all humans, animals and plants with extinction,” she said.
Patkar urged to consider at what and whose cost such development works are taken up. “Honnavar fishing communities are selling fish not just to neighbouring villages, but dried fish from Honnavar are sold across Asia. This too is development, while maintaining dignified women-centric livelihoods. This too is development, but it doesn’t destroy nature,” she said.
The fact-finding team has demanded the state government and district administration to revoke the Environmental Clearance granted to the project, cease all police deployment near the project site, conduct a survey of the residences of the fisherfolk in Tonka – I and II, take cognizance of the violations of right to life and right to livelihood of the fisherfolk of Honnavar, and recognize and support the local fishing enterprises in Honnavar.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
