The fishermen who have been protesting against the Vizhinjam seaport for the past seven days under the aegis of Latin Archdiocese, Thiruvananthapuram, have decided to continue the stir.
The decision to continue the protest raising various demands including rehabilitation of coastal erosion hit families along the coast is despite the Cabinet sub-committee meeting held on Monday taking some crucial decisions with regard to the rehabilitation of affected families.
The representatives of the protesters who welcomed the Cabinet sub-committee decisions said the stir would continue until the authorities stop the port construction as demanded by the fishermen.
The Cabinet meeting decided to provide 10 acres—including eight acres belonging to the Animal Husbandry department and two acres of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation—for the housing scheme for fishermen families. Around 3,000 families can be provided flats using this land at two places. The first preference would be given to 335 families languishing in the relief camps.
The State government would also take steps to shift the fishermen in the relief camps to rented houses as a first step. The meeting also decided to hold a discussion with the striking fishermen apart from appraising the Chief Minister about the decisions. The Animal Husbandry department would be given the land of the Jail department instead of the land to be given for the housing project. The final decision on land transfer would be taken after a meeting with the Chief Minister.
Earlier, Ministers M.V. Govindan, Antony Raju, Ahamed Devarkovil, V. Abdurahiman, K. Rajan, and J. Chinchu Rani, and Mayor Arya Rajendran attended the meeting after meeting the Chief Minister.
Though the protesters welcomed the decisions, they said there was nothing new in the sub-committee decision. Instead of promises, the fishermen were looking for stern action from the side of the government, said R. Christudas, Auxiliary Bishop of Latin Catholic Church, to the media, while expressing their desire to meet the Chief Minister. The fishermen were hopeful of the meeting with the Chief Minister, he told the media.
Earlier in the day, the fishermen laid siege to the under-construction port through sea and land. Hundreds of fishermen encircled the port through the sea on fishing vessels even as others squatted in front of the main entrance of the port on the shore, disrupting the work.
The fishermen have been alleging that the breakwater construction as part of the port work has aggravated the coastal erosion along the coast of Thiruvananthapuram.
