The 140-day long protests against the port construction at Vizhinjam, which would have turned a milestone in the development map of Kerala, has ended. The attack on the police station and destruction of public property turned the tide against the protesters. More than three dozen cops were seriously injured in the violence that broke out on November 26. Many of them have not left the hospital.

The impractical and irrational demand to stop the construction of the port, which has reached more than half, is the cause of the strike to last so long. There were some mysterious forces to fuel the strike and the flow of money helped in prolonging the strike. The people have seen the hypocrisy of the politicians who rushed to support those involved in violent protests demanding that the port be abandoned even when they said it was essential. We have mentioned earlier the sad state of Vizhinjam port becoming a victim of political partisanship.

The government has made it clear that the fishermen who lost their homes in the sea rages and housed in the temporary camp at Mutthara will be given Rs 5500 as house rent. 600 flats will be constructed for them within a year and a half. An expert committee appointed by the government to study coastal erosion will hold talks with the people's committee. The possibility of other fuels will be examined to replace in kerosene used boats. A monitoring committee consisting of the chief secretary and port secretary will be formed to assess the progress in the construction of the port. These were demands that could have been eased at the initial stages without prolonging the strike for months. Unfortunately, by stalling the construction of the port, the action council tried to put pressure on the government with the demand of no port. It is also unfortunate that church leaders respected by the people were there to lead the strike.

The question arises as to what will be the status of the criminal cases taken by the police as the strike has ended. The demand of the action council to withdraw the cases was rejected by the government in the consensus discussion. It is difficult to withdraw the cases involving destruction of public property and fatal injuries to policemen. How can Vizhinjam cases be written off when there is a case of destruction of public property related to the incident of breaking computers and desks in the assembly?

What is needed now is to restart the stalled construction and make it a reality as early as possible. As Adani Group, the port builder, is ready for compromises, the government and the local people should give all their support to reach the goal of getting the first ship for Onam. A strike could no longer be the reason for stalling the port construction.

Former chief minister V S Achuthanandan while inaugurating the port construction said that a huge ship will anchor in Vizhinjam after thousand days. Instead of a thousand, twice as many days have passed. The mistake of Kerala is not being aware of the vast potential of Vizhinjam port. The construction company's promise to moor ships at Vizhinjam port for Onam should be believed. Let's not delay the ‘muhurtham’ any longer.