Vizhinjam Port

In News

The Kerala government has agreed to the opposition’s demand for an adjournment debate in the Legislative Assembly on the Latin Catholic Church-backed fishers’ agitation against the Vizhinjam port.

Vizhinjam Port

• About:
  • Located on the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula
  • Just 10 nautical miles from the major international sea route and east-west shipping axis
  • A natural water depth of more than 20m within a nautical mile from the coast.
• Significance:
  • It is likely to play a pivotal role in the maritime development of the country and Kerala. 
  • The port is expected to leverage the growth of minor ports in Kerala and other regional ports, creating thousands of employment opportunities.
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• Agitation:
  • The Church-supported Vizhinjam Action Council (VAC) has been on the warpath against the ports’ breakwater construction.
  • The VAC demanded the government halt the port construction till a credible impact assessment study by independent experts.
• Concerns:
  • The encroaching sea rendered scores of fishers in Vizhinjam homeless. 
  • The port construction caused choppy waters, making fishing perilous in the littoral waters.

Source: TH