THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader C Omana, councillor of Mulloor Ward of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, has rejected the Congress's stance of supporting the strike by the Latin Archdiocese at Vizhinjam. Although the port is known by the name Vizhinjam, the project area and the port gate are located in Mulloor Ward. Omana is a member of the local group against the strike as opposed to the Congress movement which introduced an emergency resolution in the assembly.

M.Vincent, the MLA of Kovalam constituency where the port is located, introduced the emergency motion in the assembly. Omana told Kerala Kaumudi that there is no need to conduct another study on coastal erosion. "The UPA government gave permission for the construction of the port after looking into everything. Port construction should not be stopped. Due to the strike, the people of the place cannot go out. Sewage from a ready-made toilet brought for the protestors is discharged into a nearby canal", Omana said.

Omana also accused that the work at the port is being given to the relatives of the priests by ignoring the people in the ward and that the people in the ward did not even get a single pipe connection.

Environmental clearance at that time

Proponents of the port and leaders of local communities opposing the strike point out that the terms of reference for the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the Vizhinjam port project was approved by the UPA government. A draft report of the Environmental Impact Report was published in 2013. On August 24, 2013, the Kerala Coastal Management Authority gave environmental clearance to the Vizhinjam project. When the Centre initiated the process of granting environmental clearance, the Congress government ruled at the Centre as wells in Kerala. The Forest and Environment Department maintained that the project has all environmental clearances and CRZ clearance. Port supporters are asking why the Congress is asking for a social study to be conducted again on coastal erosion.