The Chellanam-Kochi Janakeeya Vedi, a group that has been protesting against the absence of any concrete measures to protect the eroding coastline, decided at a convention on Friday that they would boycott the Assembly election.
The people’s convention was organised at Thoppumpady, raising the question of who the people should vote for and why they must vote. The refusal to vote is a mark of protest against political parties that make promises on addressing the issue of sea ingress every election season, but fail to implement any work, betraying the electorate in the process, according to the protest group. The manifesto of different political fronts prioritise projects to deal with sea ingress, but such assurances are forgotten soon after the election, the group said.
P.A. Pouran of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties inaugurated the convention. Vested interests are attempting to monetise the coastline, ignoring the well-being of the people living in the area, he said.
Pengal Otrumai leader Gomathi also spoke at the convention, pointing out that if the past few years had, in fact, seen any development, people would not have to resort to protest. “People continue to fight for basic rights. Power has been held by the two major political fronts, but with no significant changes for people,” she observed.
The rehabilitation project announced for people living along the coastline is an attempt to clear residents from the area and monetise it, said V.T. Sebastian, convenor of the Samyuktha Samara Samiti, a larger protest group comprising the Janakeeya Vedi and a few merchants’ and fish workers’ groups.
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