Talks between the Kerala government and the church-led action council on Friday to break the impasse over the multi-crore Vizhinjam international port project remained inconclusive.
The government remained firm on its stand that the port construction cannot be halted. The action council said the protests will continue until concrete assurances are given on their demands.
Fisheries Minister V. Abdurahiman, briefing the media on the outcome of the meeting, said the government cannot consider stopping the work on a major project such as the Vizhinjam port. The government had favourably considered the rest of the demands raised by the protesters, he said.
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Monsignor Eugene Pereira of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, who heads the action council, said it will not consider calling off the protests until the government finds solutions to the issues raised by the fishing community. He indicated that the talks will continue in this regard.
Of the seven demands made by the action council, the primary one pertains to halting the port work and initiating a comprehensive assessment of coastal erosion.
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Friday's was the fourth round of talks held between the government and the protesters.
Meanwhile, the Theeradesa Muslim Jama-Ath Aikya Vedi, which also attended the meeting, alleged that a large section of traditional fishers from the Muslim community were left out of the rehabilitation package. ''We have asked the ministers to end this discrimination,'' said vedi chairman H. A. Rahman.
Ministers V. Sivankutty, K. Rajan, Antony Raju and G. R. Anil were also present at the meeting.
