Chellanam-Kochi Janakeeya Vedi, which launched a mass protest on October 28, 2019, demanding comprehensive measures to protect the 17-km stretch of coast between Chellanam and Fort Kochi, will complete 2,000 days of its campaign on Good Friday. Residents have called for a mass fast on the day to reiterate their demand for the protection of the coast, homes, and lives.
The Vedi demanded on Wednesday (April 16, 2025) that the erection of the tetrapod wall, which was intended to protect the coast from Puthenthode to the northern end of the coastal village and further on to Fort Kochi, be completed on a war footing. “The work needs to begin urgently as the rainy season is approaching, and residents fear serious coastal erosion and disruption to their daily lives” they added.
The residents of Chellanam, with the rainy season at hand, have also demanded that sandbags be used to create a protective layer along the coast between Beach Road and Manassery. Vedi leaders have appealed to residents of the coastal village to join the hunger strike from wherever they are in the world and to send in pictures and reports of their participation in the mass action.
V.T. Sebastian, general convenor, said Chellanam residents, under the aegis of the Janakeeya Vedi, also organised a protest meeting in front of the District Collectorate, stressing the need to build the promised offshore breakwaters at Manassery, Saudi, and Beach Road.
Mr. Sebastian said a meeting of Vedi representatives with the District Collector last week had ended on a positive note. He added that temporary measures to protect the coast would be completed before May 15.
Published – April 16, 2025 08:40 pm IST