In November last year, JSW Infrastructure, won a tender to develop an all-weather, deep-water, greenfield port at Keni under a public-private partnership.
Published Feb 24, 2025 | 6:37 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 24, 2025 | 6:37 PM
Fishers protes. (Supplied)
Synopsis: Fishers in Keni village, Uttara Kannada, staged a protest against the proposed ₹4,119 crore Keni port project by JSW Infrastructure, with many women jumping into the Arabian Sea defying prohibitory orders. Three women fell ill during the protest, two of whom are in serious condition, while tensions remain high despite a heavy police presence.
Hundreds of fishers in Keni village, near Ankola in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district, staged a protest on Monday, 24 February, against the proposed commercial port project at Keni, PowerTV Digital reported.
Protestors threatened to jump into the sea if officials began pre-construction survey work. Despite prohibitory orders issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada, over 1,000 people, most of whom were women, gathered at the beach around 8 am, demanding that the commissioner visit the site.
When there was no response, hundreds of women entered the sea in protest. Three women fell ill, and two are in serious condition. They have been admitted to the district hospital, The Hindu reported.
Despite heavy police presence at the scene, the situation remains tense.
In November last year, JSW Infrastructure, India’s second-largest commercial port company, received a Letter of Award from the Karnataka Maritime Board to develop an all-weather, deep-water, greenfield port at Keni under a public-private partnership.
The estimated cost of the project is ₹4,119 crore, with an initial cargo handling capacity of 30 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
Arun Maheshwari, joint managing director and CEO of JSW Infrastructure, said the port will support Karnataka’s industrial growth and meet the region’s logistics demands.
The facility will have modern, mechanised systems to handle capesize (large bulk carriers that typically ships raw materials such as coal and iron ore) vessels and is expected to serve industries in Bellary, Hosapete, Hubballi, Kalaburagi and South Maharashtra.
The port’s primary cargo will include coal, coke, iron ore, limestone, dolomite and finished steel products. It will be connected to the existing Konkan Railway line north of Ankola station via an eight-kilometer rail link.
According to Karnataka’s maritime perspective plan, the state’s hinterland cargo potential is expected to grow from 44 MTPA to 117 MTPA by 2035.
(Edited by Dese Gowda).
