The Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum, which is leading the protest against the Adani group’s under-construction Vizhinjam seaport, has decided to intensify its agitation until the project is “decommissioned” and the CPM-led state government meets all their demands for rehabilitation of families displaced by coastal erosion attributed to the construction of the multi-crore project.

Although the state government had agreed to meet most of the seven demands, the church and the fisherfolk have been unhappy over the government taking its own time to follow up its promises. No consensus has yet been reached on two demands — halting construction until a fresh environment impact assessment is carried out and allocating heavily subsidised kerosene for fishing boats.

To make things worse, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday termed the protests “pre-planned” and alleged the role of non-locals. “It cannot be said that the ongoing protest is one by the people of this region alone. It can be seen as pre-planned protests organised in several places,” he told the Assembly.

“The government prefers solving the problems faced by the local people through discussions. Any move to sabotage that would be an injustice to the future generations,” he said.

The government had on Monday agreed to allot 10 acres of land near the coast and build 3,000 flats to rehabilitate the displaced families. But leaders from the Latin church and the Opposition came down heavily on the chief minister for calling it a pre-planned protest.

“Yes, this is a pre-planned protest. The fishermen planned this. When the sea began destroying their houses, the fishermen were determined on what to do next. That is how they came here,” Fr Theodacious D’Cruz of the Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum told reporters at the protest site in Vizhinjam shortly after the chief minister’s statement.

“This is an agitation of the coastal people. That’s why you see priests who are from this coastal community,” D’Cruz said in allusion to the presence of a large number of Latin church priests who have been participating in the sit-in that started on August 16.

The clergyman said decommissioning the seaport was the only way out. “Decommissioning is the best option for everyone. Under no circumstance will we allow this Adani port,” he said, iterating one of the key demands of the protesters that the government has repeatedly ruled out. D’Cruz accused the government of backtracking on promises made on August 19 when the government offered to shift the 335 families accommodated in a warehouse to rented homes. “The minister (of fisheries, V. Abdurahiman) and the collector had promised to provide Rs 15,000 monthly rent to each family. But they swallowed their own words after the meeting,” he said, disclosing that the government had reduced the rent allowance to Rs 3,000 per family.

Fishermen would take their boats out to the sea in protest on August 29 and occupy the streets in the heart of the Kerala capital during the 10-day Onam festival beginning a day later.