Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed a unanimous resolution urging the Centre to immediately withdraw the amendment to the Offshore Areas Mineral Development and Regulation Act, 2002, and relinquish all steps taken post the amendment. The 2023 amendment has allowed private participation in deep sea exploration and mining, and the Ministry of Mines have initiated moves to auction 13 mining blocks, and this includes three blocks in Kollam (Kollam Parappu).

The resolution said the amendment would indisputably destroy Kerala's marine resources and damage the livelihood of lakhs of fisherfolk. "It is with great concern that this House and the people of Kerala view the steps taken by the Ministry of Mines to extract minerals off the Kollam coast, Kerala's traditional fish sector," the resolution says.

"This House also views with great consternation that an amendment that would not only harm the marine ecosystem but would also endanger the country's security has been made at all," the resolution says. In an earlier  paragraph, the resolution says that deep sea mining by the private sector could result in strategic minerals falling into the hands of private individuals. This, it says, could be a threat to the nation's security. 

The resolution says that experts have warned that the new amendment would have serious consequences for marine wealth and deep sea diversity. "Besides fish varieties, corals, sea urchins,  and crabs could also be endangered," it says. "It has also been observed by experts that the extinction of marine species could cause the ocean to discharge more carbon into the atmosphere. Deep sea exploration can also cause the muddying of the deep, impacting marine life," the resolution says.

It also expressed the Assembly's collective resentment that the Centre was going ahead with its plans ignoring Kerala's objections and concerns. "The State Government had repeatedly emphasised the fragility of the marine ecosystem and its amazing diversity. We have raised the concern that the Centre's move would hurt the economy and deprive the fishefolk of their livelihoods," it says. 

Since the marine sector brings in much needed foreign exchange reserves to the country, the Kerala Assembly resolution said that any attempts that would hurt marine life would inevitably undermine the economy of both Kerala and India. 

The resolution was moved when the UDF was staging a protest in the Assembly. Yet, even amid the vehement sloganeering, the UDF members, too, lifted their hands in solidarity.