Thiruvananthapuram: The Latin Catholic Church has locked its horns again with the Kerala government over Vizhinjam port. Vicar General Fr Eugene Pereira alleged that the government was fooling the people by claiming that the first vessel reached the port. He claimed that only cranes were taken to the port for its construction.
It is learnt that the Church is disappointed with the government as it feels that the promises given while settling the fisherfolk's protest have not been met yet. The Church is irked by the delay in the construction of the flats to rehabilitate the fishers and the renovation of Muthalapozhi harbour. The vicar general declared that he would not attend the government programme to mark the arrival of the ship on Sunday.
Meanwhile, CPM state secretary M V Govindan rubbished the Church's criticism. He declared that the problems of the fisherfolk would be resolved.
The vessel -- Zhen Hua 15 -- which began its journey from China at the end of August reached Vizhinjam on Thursday. The government will officially welcome the vessel on Sunday at 4 pm. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister for Ports Sarbananda Sonowal will attend the event. Over 8,000 people are expected to participate in the ceremony. A huge number of people are flocking to the port to see the vessel.
The Vizhinjam port is being constructed under the public-private partnership model. Adani Group is the private partner in the development of Vizhinjam port, which is going to be one of the largest ports in the world once commissioned. The project, which was scheduled to be commissioned in 2019, got delayed due to several issues related to land acquisition.
Vizhinjam had witnessed violent protests as fishermen in the area opposed the project, alleging that the port could adversely affect their livelihood. There are also environmental concerns surrounding the construction and operation of the port.
