Opinion: Adani’s Vizhinjam port needs midcourse change as damage grows
DevexOct 10, 2022
On Sunday night, at least 36 police officers and 46 protestors were injured in the Indian state of Kerala after a months-long protest led by the Latin Catholic Archdiocese against the Vizhinjam port project turned violent.
On Monday, the Kerala Police processed more than 3K locals for attacking the police station and attacking on-duty officers.
This nearly $1B project can deteriorate the coastline and destroy the region's fertile fishing ground. As a result, this project would financially paralyze locals who depend on fishing to survive. If the corporation is unwilling to consider environmental damages and make adjustments, a major ecological catastrophe can be delayed, if not avoided.
If the project didn't benefit the locals or follow the legal procedures, it would have never received the support of the two ideologically different political parties or received the go-ahead from the High Court. The protesters may allege the political parties are "hand in glove" with the Adani Group, but why don't they knock on the doors of the Supreme Court to investigate? Proper vetting has occurred here.