Respected Chief Minister of Kerala,
We are a group of people living in different parts of Kerala and working in social-cultural –educational –political and environmental fields. We are deeply concerned about the equitable and sustainable development of the State based on social and ecological justice.
The fishers of this State whom you referred to as Kerala’s army has been praised for their laudable relief work during the traumatic times when we faced floods. But now more than 600 families belonging to this community have lost their homes and livelihood and have become refugees in the most deplorable living conditions just 6 kms from your office. We write this to bring your attention to the adverse impact of coastal erosion in this coastal area since 2016.
We support and are convinced that the observation of the affected communities linking this sudden and unprecedented change to one anthropogenic activity which commenced in 2016 with State support. This is the intense construction activity of the Adani Commercial sea port in Vizhinjam. We understand that M.S.Swaminthan, one of the most respected scientists in India and many others have concluded without doubt the direct relation between dredging, reclamation and groyne construction that hinders natural sand movement with devastating sea erosion .
The Vizhinjam Adani Sea port may be a dream project for many. If it does not materialize for them it may be just the loss of a dream. But for the coastal community living in this sea side it will be the irretrievable loss of their reality which is their homes and livelihood. We empathise with their fears that the intensity of these impacts are going to increase as time goes on.
It is in this extremely dire situation that the worst affected coastal community of Thiruvananthapuram supported by Farmers Collectives, environmental support groups , and many other organizations have started an indefinite satyagraha by the side of the famed and now vanishing Shanghumugham beach ( near the Domestic Airport ) from World Environment Day –June 5th 2022. Inaugurated by S.P.Udayakumar ( leader of the Save Koodankulam Anti Nuclear struggle) these satyagrahis demand that the Construction of Vizhinjam Adani Port is stopped which alone will restore the eroded beaches back to its natural state along with proper and adequate compensation to those families who are worst affected by this.
We stand by them and request you to call the representatives of the various organizations who are participating in the Satyagraha and discuss with an open mind how best to solve their crisis in the most humane and long lasting manner possible.
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This petition has been endorsed by over 70 people across Kerala that include many prominent names
Some of them are Jagadeeshan, K, ,Tomy Mathew , Sridhar Radhakrishnan, Dr.S.Santhi, Dr.Radha Gopalan, Dr.Kusumam Josef, C.R.Neelakandan, Harish Vasudevan Dr. K.G.Thara to name a few . Along with this organizations like National Alliance of People’s Movements, Karshaka Sangadana, River Research Centre, Tree walk, Celebrating Water Bodies, Indus Cycling Embassy and so on have also expressed support .
