Raise port issue in Parliament: Samithi to Rahul Gandhi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vizhinjam samara samithi leaders who met AICC leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged him to raise the Vizhinjam port issue in Parliament. After meeting Gandhi, the convener of the samithi, Eugine H Pereira, said, "Rahul has asked the KPCC to make clear its stand on the demand for stopping the port construction."
The samithi sought Gandhi's support in stopping the port construction and for conducting a study into the impact created by the port construction. "We have asked him to support our movement and raise the issue before the Centre in Parliament," said Pereira.
"He had a patient hearing to the grievances and the issues raised by us. We elaborated in detail about the problems the port construction have created in the coastal region of the district," he said.
The samara samithi leaders told Gandhi that the livelihood of over 40,000 fishermen from the Vizhinjam-Poovar area would be adversely affected. "We also reminded Gandhi how his mother Sonia Gandhi had expressed concern about the impact of the port construction earlier. Also, when Jairam Ramesh was the Union environment minister, he had made it clear about the threat the port will create to the coastal areas of the district," he said.