Protests at Adani’s south India port block restart of construction

By Jose Devasia and Munsif Vengattil

KOCHI, India, Nov 26 (Reuters) – Protesters from a fishing community blocked attempts by India’s Adani Group to restart work on a $900 million transhipment port on the southern tip of India, a company spokesperson said on Saturday.

Construction at Adani’s Vizhinjam seaport has been stalled for more than three months after protesters, mostly Christian and led by Catholic priests, erected a large shelter blocking the entrance to the port, saying the development had caused coastal erosion and deprived them of their livelihoods.

The Adani Group, led by world’s third-richest man Gautam Adani, attempted to move heavy vehicles into the port on Saturday following a court directive this week that construction work must resume, but protesters blocked them from entering, an Adani spokesperson in the southern state of Kerala told Reuters.

Around 25 trucks had tried to enter the port and were forced to turn back after two were hit by stones thrown by the protesters, the spokesperson added.

Calls to senior state police officials went unanswered.

(Writing by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

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