Even while sticking to his earlier stand that there was no scientific basis whatsoever for the perception that the Vizhinjam port construction was causing coastal erosion, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday met the primary demand of the agitating fishermen half way.
The fishers wanted the port construction to be stopped and an independent study be constituted to assess the social and geological impact of the port construction on the coast. The Chief Minister announced the formation of an expert committee to assess the impact of the port construction on the coast. He said no scientific study had found a link between erosion and port construction but the committee was being formed "considering the concerns of the fisherfolk". He said the committee would submit an interim report in three months.
However, he ruled out stopping construction work on the port. "Such a demand cannot be countenanced under any circumstances. It is illogical and unacceptable," the Chief Minister said while replying to a Calling Attention moved by CPM MLA Kadakampally Surendran in the Assembly. "Initially, we (the CPM) wanted the project to come up in the public sector but the previous UDF government was against this. By the time we came to power, the agreement had already been inked with a private company. At that stage, we took the stand that the project should continue. Now it has made good progress. Now, at this point, the work cannot be stopped at any cost," the Chief Minister said.
He once again made the provocative remark that certain agitating elements had "certain special motives". "Some have political designs and the intentions of certain others do not sit well with the interests of the State Government," Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister did not directly point fingers at the Latin Church, which is spearheading the agitation, but gave enough hints that he was indeed referring to the Church alone when said some had ulterior motives. For instance, provoked by Vijayan's remarks that some were trying to make political capital out of this, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said the UDF had never attempted to politicise the issue. Rather than snub the Opposition Leader, the Chief Minister reached out to him. "In this case we are all on the same page. We have taken decisions together," the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister also seemed generally favourable to the other demands raised by the fishers though he was vague about two of them. One, subsidy for kerosene. The Chief Minister merely said that kerosene prices were decided by the Centre and that the fishermen should shift to "non-kerosene fuel".
Two, compensation for fishermen for work days lost due to bad weather warnings. The Chief Minister did not commit anything. However, he was specific about another of the demands. He announced that coastal families lodged in rented houses would be paid Rs 5500 a month as rent.
The Chief minister said the government was generally favourable to "a large majority of demands" and exhorted the fishermen to call off their agitation immediately. He also hinted that his government would initiate harsh measures if the agitators continued to hold out. "The High Court has also said that the work on the port should not be hampered. This makes government intervention inevitable," the Chief Minister said. The agitation has entered it's 15th day on Tuesday.
