In November 2023, JSW Infrastructure signed an agreement with the Karnataka government to develop a Rs 4,119 crore greenfield port project at Keni. The agreement between its subsidiary company, Masad Infra Services Pvt Ltd, and the Karnataka Maritime Board is to develop a deep-water commercial port primarily for coal and steel cargo. However, local fishing communities in Keni village have strongly opposed the project, fearing loss of livelihood, damage to marine ecosystems, and threats to cultural heritage sites like the Kukudeshwara temple.
Most of the village residents in Keni found out about the port only in late 2024 when officers came to their village to survey the land and sea. In November 2024, they marched from Keni to the Tehsildar’s office in Ankola and submitted a written petition demanding the scrapping of the proposed port. Keni, which has a population of 2,882 fisherfolk, has opposed the project since the start. The fisherfolk argue that the port will adversely impact the estuary, fish breeding grounds, and biodiversity of the ecologically sensitive area and upend their lives.
On 11 February 2025, villagers said that local authorities and police informed them that the port construction work would commence soon and that they must cooperate. Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi Priya told The Indian Express that officials had informed fishermen about prohibitory orders in certain areas for the feasibility study to be conducted. On 24 February 2025, over 1,000 protesters, mostly women, gathered at Keni beach, and some entered the sea and threatened to die by suicide if the port project was not scrapped. On the morning of February 25, dozens of police personnel marched to the village and arrested 24 fishermen for allegedly obstructing road survey work for a proposed port.
Residents now fear forced displacement and loss of livelihood if the project becomes a reality. Even though the government claimed that there would be no displacement or land acquisition for the project, the residents suspect they may be made to relocate without any compensation or resettlement support. While no formal legal appeal has been filed with the National Green Tribunal regarding the project, concerns have been raised about possible violations of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules and inadequate public consultation. According to official maps and documents from the Karnataka Maritime Board, the proposed port will require all of Keni beach to be dredged.
Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was imposed in Keni village from 24 February to 5 March 2025 to facilitate the geotechnical survey for the proposed private port. Following the 23 February 2025 incident of attempted suicides by the fisherwomen, the district administration extended the prohibitory orders until 15 March 2025. Despite these restrictions and heavy police deployment, hundreds of fisherfolk from Keni village peacefully protested on 12 March 2025 by forming a human chain and demonstrating with black flags at sea, demanding the withdrawal of the proposed port project.
On 22 August 2025, a public consultation for the proposed Keni Port was held at Satyagraha Smaraka Bhavan, Ankola, as part of the mandatory EIA process. The consultation happened after controversy over the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, with the English version being around 600 pages, while the Kannada version was only 48 pages and was alleged to omit key information. During the hearing, local communities and environmentalists raised concerns over the report, resulting in over 4,000 objections being submitted. The consultation was attended by officials of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), including Senior Environmental Officer Keerthi Kumar, Regional Environmental Officer B. K. Santosh, and representatives of JSW-KPPL, the project proponent.
As the project is a large greenfield port in a coastal zone, it requires environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. As of 05 December 2025, no land acquisition has been undertaken for the project in the Uttara Kannada district. According to the Karnataka Maritime Board, the port is planned to be constructed on approximately 200 hectares of reclaimed foreshore land, thereby not requiring displacement or land acquisition for the main port infrastructure.
However, land acquisition is anticipated for the development of road and rail connectivity to the port, with about 26.2 hectares needed for roads and 17.9 hectares for rail links.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Complaint against procedural violations
Opposition against environmental degradation
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
Arrest
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
24
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
Don't Know
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
2028
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Yes
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Fishing, Religious/Sacred/Cultural value, Water bodies
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Yes
Source/Reference
<https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/new-port-project-sparks-protests/>
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
4119
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
2023
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Environmental Law, Environmental Law, Environmental Law
Legislations/Policies Involved
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
No
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Violation of environmental laws
Lack of legal protection over land rights
Violation of free prior informed consent
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Physical attack
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
On 24 February 2025, residents of Keni village, Ankola taluk, predominantly fisherfolk, protested against a geotechnical survey for the proposed private port despite prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS. Police were deployed to disperse the protest, and protesters alleged the use of excessive force, with videos showing police dragging and caning demonstrators. 24 protesters were arrested and remanded to Dharwad Central Jail. https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/lives-upended-in-two-uttara-kannada-villages-over-pvt-ports-3430130
Date of Violation
February 24, 2025
Location of Violation
Near Keni Beach, along the proposed Keni Port survey site
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Karnataka Maritime Board
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Yes
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Tried calling, but there was no response. Ms. Gazal Qureshi Company Secretary & Compliance Officer Email: gazal.qureshi@jsw.in Phone: +91 22 4286 1000 The researcher has sent an email, but no response as of July 2026
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
JSW Infrastructure
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Yes
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
Arrest
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
24
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
Don't Know
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Nayantara Lakshman works at the intersection of community conservation and development. She has explored the complexities of land and resource rights across landscapes and seascapes through legal case studies, and is interested in how nature education can support more grounded and just relationships with place. She enjoys writing about her field experiences and the people and places she learns from.
