Vizhinjam International Seaport is an under-construction port in Thiruvananthapuram conceived 25 years ago. The construction of the port began in 2015 when the Kerala cabinet awarded the port and deep-water container transshipment terminal to Adani Ports and SEZ, the sole bidder. Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL) is a special purpose government company (fully owned by Government of Kerala) that acts as an implementation agency for the state government for the development of the port. The deep water sea port is on 360 acres of land (of which 130 acres have been reclaimed from sea) will have the capacity to handle 80 per cent of India’s cargo.

The project has faced opposition from environmental activists, local fishermen and the tourism industry. They allege that the port would cause large-scale coastal erosion. In 2016, two environmental activists in Thiruvananthapuram filed a plea at the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the port. But the NGT refused to cancel the environment clearance, although it later allowed a review plea to be filed. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan representing fisherman's near Vizhinjam also filed a petition demanding stay on port work until the environmental impacts of the project were reassessed. However, the Supreme Court ruled instead that work would continue and that Adani Group and the Government of Kerala would be held responsible for “restoring the environment to its original position if the court thought it fit to interfere with construction activity”.

Local fisherfolk allege that their access to the sea has been blocked since the commencement of the project. Going by the experience of fishing communities near other ports, they fear that they will be pushed further away from the sea and will lose access to more of their fishing grounds if the port is completed.

The fisherfolk community also allege of delayed compensation and non-rehabilitation of families who gave their land for the project. In October 2017, local people protested against the delayed compensation. On October 30, 2018, fisherfolk from Vizhinjam joined their counterparts in a countrywide protest to oppose the shipping corridor. There are 18,000 cases seeking rehabilitation and compensation were being filed by August 2019, however, the government didn't make any payouts citing the election as reason for delays.

The impact has become evident of late. In a report in October 2020, T. Peter, general secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum claimed that the coastal erosion has already left 172 families homeless. Environmental activist Thomas Lawrence also expressed concern stating that in 2019 itself, around 603 people belonging to 143 families from the villages were shifted to relief camps due to incursion of the sea. However, the Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd and the Kerala government firmly deny of any coastal erosion and ecological destruction. The compliance report of the seaport project for October 2019-March 2020, issued by Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd in consultation with the Kerala government, states that there is no shoreline degradation in the area as projected by those who oppose the project.

In August 2022, members of the fishing community affected by the port began a two-week sit-in at the project site. They were protestng the coastal degradation caused by the dredging being conducted for the construction of the port and were demanding that the rehabilitation package promised to the project-affected persons be implemented fully, among other things. This protest continued for a prolonged 140-days agitation, led by the Janakeeya Padana Samithi, a collective formed by the local residents, activists and coastal protestors. This protest was met with violence between the police and protesters. Around 3,000 people were identified for the clash at the Police Station near the Vizhinjam Port Project. However, none of the identified individuals were named in the FIR, instead, prominent leaders of the protest were listed.

Later in November 2023, the Samithi released a report on the impact of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, highlighting the potential harm to the region's geomorphological, ecological and local livelihood impacts. This report was launched by historian Ramachandra Guha who lauded for its intersectional and comprehensive [reporting](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2023/Nov/22/kerala-vizhinjam-international-seaport-development-may-harm-sensitivecoastal-marine-ecosystem-says-study-2635023.html#:~:text=THIRUVANANTHAPURAM%3A Historian Ramachandra Guha released,World Fisheries Day on Tuesday.).

Ahead of the general elections, in March 2024, the state government withdrew 157 of the 199 registered cases in 2022 against the people involved in the protests against the construction of the Vizhinjam Port. Amidst ongoing protests, an inaugural trial run of the first container ship to dock at the port was formally welcomed by the Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan in July 2024.

With continued demands from the local residents, an Appeals Committee and Monitoring Committee were set up by the state to study and resolve the issues related to the distribution of livelihood compensation. The existing local monitoring committee is headed by the District Collector and a State-level monitoring committee by the Chief Secretary to oversee the social welfare of the local residents. As part of the Vizhinjam project, the state government has distributed Rs 107.28 crore as livelihood compensation to date. A total of 2,700 people have received compensation from the government as of March 2025, and Rs 8.76 crore was distributed to 284 people in the last phase.