India, Nov. 6 -- When Kerala first launched its ambitious seaplane project in 2013, the idea sparkled with promise. The vision was picture-perfect: aircraft gliding over calm backwaters, connecting Kochi to Ashtamudi, Punnamada, and Beypore, turning the state into a seamless global tourism hub.

But that dream collapsed almost as soon as it began. As the inaugural floatplane tried to land on Ashtamudi Lake, hundreds of local fishers waded into the water to block it, shouting, "Our waters are not your runway."

More than a decade later, the government is trying to revive the same project, now wrapped in the language of sustainable tourism and blue economy partnerships. For the inland fishing communities who live and work on these waters, i...