The first direct talks between Pinarayi Vijayan and representatives of the Latin Catholic Church fails to arrive at a truce.
Protestors from the coastal communities at the Vizhinjam port construction site. (South First)
The much-anticipated talks between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the archbishop of the Latin Catholic Diocese of Thiruvananthapuram to end the ongoing Church-backed agitation by fish workers against the upcoming Vizhinjam deep-sea port project ended in a stalemate late on Thursday, 25 August.
Vijayan rejected the Church’s primary demand to immediately stop construction work at the port site and order a thorough scientific study on the environmental, social and livelihood challenges posed by the project.
Vijayan made it clear that work on the ₹7,500-crore port project, being implemented by the Adani Group off the coast of Thiruvananthapuram, will not be stopped under any circumstance.
He also said the project was initiated after completing all required environmental and social impact studies, and the current situation warrants no further studies. He urged the Church to end the protest immediately as there was no proof that the construction was causing coastal erosion.
Vijayan blamed climate change for the erosion of the coast north of Vizhinjam port and said there were no human factors that aggravated the crisis.
Archbishop Thomas J Netto and Vicar General Eugine Pereira, who represented the Church and fish workers in the talks, later told media persons that the strike-work, which has been on for 11 days, would be intensified in the coming days.
“The approach of the chief minister was unilateral, and he was not ready to give value to our demands. The talks have failed to evolve a truce. Such an adamant stand by the chief minister would further aggravate the crisis,” said the archbishop.
In the meantime, the Adani Group has approached the Kerala High Court seeking protection of central government forces at the construction site. The Group, in its petition, cited wilfull vandalism at the construction site by the agitators.
The meeting between the chief minister and the archbishop was a sequel to the three rounds of talks held between a Cabinet sub-committee and the archdiocese.
In all the consultations, the government made it clear that there was no plan to stop the port construction work and that there was no point in any further discussion on the subject.
The chief minister, however, told the church representatives that the government was ready to consider favourably the other demands raised by them.
The Vizhinjam Samara Samithi refused to budge and has taken the stand that no meaningful discussion can occur if the government is not ready to give any assurance on stopping work on the port project.
“We have also informed them that in that case, we will continue with the agitation, and we will intensify the protests in the coming days,” said Pereira.
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