KOCHI: Adani group, which is constructing the first phase of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, has approached the Kerala High Court seeking contempt of court action against the CPM-led state government for not providing police protection as ordered by the court so as to continue building the port.
It was on September 1st that the high court ordered the state government to provide police protection to Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd (AVPL) and its contractors and workers in view of the protests being conducted by fishermen under the leadership of the Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum. The court had also ordered for deploying central forces if the state government is unable to maintain law and order in the project area.
In the plea seeking contempt action against the chief secretary, Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL), which is a government undertaking, and the principal secretary of the Department of Ports, Adani group has alleged that the court’s order for police protection was violated by the protestors, who entered into the port project area and caused the construction works to be stopped. Along with the plea, the complaints filed by the group to the government regarding such incidents have also been produced before the court.
The plea also said around 80 percent of the first phase of the port construction has been completed and no fisherman’s family was displaced for the project. The protest was launched on August 16th, when the project was nearing completion and the government is not taking any action to prevent the protestors from entering the project area or prevent disruption of construction works, it is alleged.
