KOCHI: The Puthuvype anti-LPG terminal agitation committee has accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of double standards and moving arbitrarily against the concerns raised by those residing in the vicinity of the proposed project.
Addressing media persons here on Saturday, the agitators pointed out the Chief Minister’s statement to the media that the LPG terminal project would not be dropped at any cost contradicted the assurance he had given to the protesters earlier.
They also urged the Union and State governments to constitute a committee to analyse the conditions prevailing at the project site and in its neighbourhoods by roping in experts from various fields.
“While holding discussions with us on June 21, the Chief Minister had given an assurance that the project would be initiated only after holding a detailed study on the allegations raised by us. While addressing media persons later, he, however, maintained that the project would not be dropped at any cost,” they said.
They also accused the State government of discriminating against those who had participated in the Puthuvype protests. “For instance, people are not being given clearance certificates by the Njarakkal police for the sole reason that they had taken part in the protests,” said Biju Kannanganatt, member of the agitators’ committee.
Action against cops
Similarly, the authorities are yet to initiate action against the police officers who assaulted protesters including women and children.
Work on the LPG import terminal, proposed by the Indian Oil Corporation in Puthuvype, had hit a blockade with local residents agitating against it citing safety concerns. They maintained that the terminal posed threat to residential areas in Vypeen island, one of the thickly populated areas in the country.
Further, it was being initiated without approval from the Elamkunnapuzha panchayat, the local body concerned, and also in alleged violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone norms.
Indian Oil Corporation was awarded the project on a nomination basis in March, 2013, and a concession agreement was signed on April 4, 2015. On completion, it will have a capacity to handle around six lakh tonnes of LPG annually.
In addition to cooking gas, the proposed terminal will handle bunkers and liquids under the supervision of the Cochin Port Trust.